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Uniyersity  of  California  •  Berkeley 


COOPER  ORNITHOLOGICAL  CLUB 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


Pacific  Coast  Avifauna 


NO.  4 


BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS, 

ARIZONA 


...BY... 

HARRY  S.  SWARTH 

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LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  CLUB 

April  15,  J  904 


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l«/(?l^^'- 


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. . . NOTE . . . 

The  publications  of  the  Cooper  Ornithological  Club 
consist  of  two  series — The  Condor,  which  is  the  bi- 
monthly official  organ,  and  the  Pacific  Coast  Avifauna. 
The  latter  serves  for  the  accornmodation  of  papers  merit- 
ing special  consideration,  or  whose  length  prohibits  their 
appearance  in  the  official  organ.  Both  sets  of  publica- 
tions are  sent  free  to  honorary  members  and  to  active 
members  in  good  standing. 

The  issue  of  Pacific  Coast  Avifauna  No.  4  has  been 
made  possible  through  prompt  and  liberal  donations  from 
the  following  Southern  Division  members :  W.  Lee 
Chambers,  W.  B.  Judson,  J.  Eugene  Law,  H.  J.  Lelande, 
E.  D.  Treadwell,  Howard  Robertson,  J.  Grinnell,  O.  W. 
Howard,  A.  M.  Ingersoll,  F.  Stephens,  C.  E.  Groesbeck, 
J.  B.  Fuedge  and  M.  L.  Wicks,  Jr. 


YK/vnU!\J  V^OIliPi'iA^ 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/birdsofhuachucamOOswarrich 


BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS, 

ARIZONA. 

By  Harry  S.  Swarth. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  Huachuca  Mountains  are  a  range  which  have  been  pretty 
thoroughly  explored  by  investigators  in  various  branches  of  natural 
history,  but  of  which  there  has  been  but  little  published,  at  least  of 
ornithological  interest.  A  few  scattered  notes  recording  the  occurrence 
of  various  rarities  in  that  region,  and  some  more  or  less  carefully  de- 
tailed accounts  of  the  breeding  habits  of  the  most  interesting  and  con- 
spicuous species  of  birds  inhabiting  the  mountains  are  about  all  that 
have  appeared,  but  nothing  of  a  general  character;  and  as  in  the  course 
of  several  seasons  careful  work  in  the  mountains  many  interesting  and 
surprising  facts  in  distribution,  migrations,  etc.,  of  various  species  were 
being  continually  encountered,  which,  while  they  may  be  familiar  to  the 
naturalists  who  have  visited  the  range,  are  probably  unknown  to 
ornithologists  in  general,  I  have  been  induced  to  embody  the  results  of 
my  labors  in  the  following  pages.  The  list  of  residents  and  summer 
visitants  I  believe  to  be  fairly  complete,  but  as  stray  individuals  of  many 
surprising  and  more  or  less  unexpected  species  have  turned  up  in  the 
region  on  various  occasions  it  is  but  fair  to  suppose  that  additional 
species  of  this  class  will  have  to  be  added  to  this  list  in  the  future,  and 
it  is  possible  that  there  are  some  that  I  failed  to  meet  with  occurring 
regularly  during  the  fall  migration,  of  which  I  saw  but  very  little. 
Though  considerable  work  was  done  along  the  valley  of  the  San  Pedro 
River,  but  a  few  miles  distant,  and  a  number  of  birds  found  there  not 
occurring  in  the  Huachucas,  I  have  preferred  to  limit  my  list  to  such 
species  as  occur  in  the  mountains,  or,  ranging  over  the  plains  below, 
occasionally  venture  up  into  the  mouths  of  the  canyons ;  for  a  great 
variety  of  migrating  water  fowl  undoubtedly  occurs  along  the  San  Pedro 
River,  both  in  the  spring  and  f':>ll,  and  these  I  had  hardly  any  opportunity 
of  observing,  so  prefer  to  restrict  myself  as  indicated. 

The  following  list  is,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  records  quoted 
from  various  publications,  entirely  from  observations  made  and  speci- 
mens collected  during  three  visits  to  the  region  under  consideration.  In 
1896  four  of  us,  W.  B.  Judson,  H.  G.  Rising,  O.  W.  Howard  and  myself 
made  the  Huachuca  mountains  the  objective  point  of  a  leisurely  wagon 
trip  from  Los  Angeles  across  the  Colorado  desert  and  southern  Arizona, 
and  spent  three  months,  from  April  25th  to  July  20th,  camped  in  Ramsey 
Canyon.  In  1902  O.  W.  Howard  and  myself  were  camped  together  near 
the  mouth  of  Miller  Canyon  from  March  29th  to  July  25th,  when  Mr. 
Howard  returned  to  Los  Angeles,  leaving  me  in  the  mountains,  where 
I  remained  until  September  5th.  In  1903  I  was  in  the  mountains,  also  in 
Miller  Canyon,  from  February  17th  to  May  30th.  Almost  all  the  col- 
lecting was  done  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountains,  in  the  seven  canyons 


2  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

from  Tanner  to  Ash  Canyon,  by  far  the  best  part  of  the  ran^e,  ornitho- 
logically  considered.  Occasional  trips  were  made  to  the  west  slope  of 
the  mountains,  and  along  the  San  Pedro  River.  In  1896  but  compara- 
tively few  skins  were  put  up,  but  a  large  collection  of  nests  and  eggs  was 
gathered  which  is  unfortunately  inaccessible  at  the  present  writing.  On 
the  two  subsequent  trips  more  attention  was  paid  to  the  collecting  of  the 
birds  themselves ;  personally  I  put  up  some  2500  skins,  which,  with  the 
notes  made  at  the  same  time,  form  the  basis  of  the  present  paper. 

The  Huachuca  Mountains  lie  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  Arizona, 
extending  northwest  and  southeast,  and  with  their  southern  extremity 
lying  just  over  the  Mexican  boundary  line.  The  range  is  a  small  one, 
about  forty  miles  long,  composed  of  a  single  ridge  or  back  bone,  which 
reaches  its  greatest  height  at  about  the  middle  of  the  range ;  where  two 
peaks  rise,  one  to  an  altitude  of  about  10,000  feet,  and  the  other  a  few 
hundred  feet  lower.  On  the  eastern  slope  a  number  of  broad,  well 
watered  canyons  extend  from  the  plains  quite  to  the  divide  of  the  range, 
while  smaller  and  shorter  ones  lie  between.  The  western  slope  is  steeper 
and  more  rugged,  and  the  canyons  are  consequently  shorter  and  not  so 
well  watered.  The  base  of  the  mountains  at  Miller  Canyon,  about  the 
center  of  the  range  lies  at  an  altitude  of  about  4500  feet,  and  in  this  same 
canyon,  where  I  did  most  of  my  collecting,  the  distance  from  the  mouth 
of  the  canyon  to  the  divide  (9000  feet)  is  about  six  miles. 

The  San  Pedro  River  rises  west  of  the  HuacUucas,  circles  about  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  range,  and  flows  in  a  northerly  direction 
almost  parallel  with  the  mountains  and  at  an  average  distance  of  about 
fifteen  miles.  Just  north  of  the  mountains  the  Barbocomari  River  flows, 
about  at  right  angles  with  the  line  of  the  range,  emptying  into  the  San 
Pedro  River  at  Fairbanks.  From  the  San  Pedro  to  the  mountains  is  an 
unbroken  plain,  covered  with  mesquite  and  other  brush  from  the  river 
up  to  within  about  five  miles  of  the  mountains,  but  for  the  rest  simply  a 
grass  covered  prairie.  Where  the  various  canyons  leave  the  mountains 
they  extend  in  the  shape  of  washes  across  the  plains  to  the  river,  the 
trees  gradually  diminishing  in  size  and  numbers;  and  the  water  sinking, 
in  the  summer  far  above  the  mouths  of  the  canyons,  and  in  the  early 
spring  sometimes  two  or  three  miles  below,  to  rise  again  just  before  the 
river  is  reached.  Where  the  water  comes  to  the  surface  again  rows  of 
large  willows,  and  other  vegetation  is  found. 

The  Huachucas  are  a  well  wooded  range,  covered  in  the  higher 
parts,  with  various  conifers ;  along  the  canyons  with  maples,  alders,  ash, 
madrones,  walnuts  and  sycamores ;  with  extensive  groves  of  live-oaks 
over  the  foothills  and  along  the  base  of  the  mountains ;  and  in  places 
thickly  covered  with  low  brush.  There  are  very  few  willows  in  the 
mountains,  and  these  but  small  bushes ;  and  of  cottonwoods  there  are 
but  a  very  few  trees  scattered  along  the  base  of  the  range.  Though 
some  beautiful  little  species  of  cactus  occur,  the  various  species  of 
prickly  pear  and  cholla,  so  conspicuous  about  Tucson  and  many  other 
parts  of  the  territory,  are  almost  entirely  absent,  both  in  the  mountains 
and  in  the  plains ;  but  there  are  many  mescals  all  over  the  range,  and,  in 
the  foothills  a  few  yuccas. 

The  winters  are  cold  in  the  mountains;  in  February,  1903,  there  was 
snow  lying  over  the  range  down  to  the  foothills,  and  in  places  along  the 


April   1904]      BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  3 

divide  it  was  nearly  ei^ht  feet  deep ;  while  on  the  first  of  May  there  were 
sheltered  spots  near  the  summit  of  the  range  where  the  snow  was  still 
lying.  Many  times  in  February  and  March  the  thermometer  fell  as  low 
as  20  degrees  Fahr.  in  the  night,  occasionally  as  low  as  15  degrees.  I 
did  not  find  the  summers  unpleasantly  hot  in  the  mountains,  but  on  the 
plains  below  it  became  far  too  warm  for  comfort. 

I  would  like  here  to  express  my  gratitude,  first  to  Mr.  G.  Frean 
Morcom,  in  whose  interests  these  trips  were  made,  and  who  has  assisted 
me  in  many  ways  in  compiling  and  publishing  this  list ;  to  Mr.  Joseph 
Grinnell,  whose  opinions  I  have  consulted,  and  of  whose  advice  I  have 
frequently  availed  myself;  and  also  to  Mr.  Ridgway  who  has  kindly 
indentified  for  me  many  of  the  more  obscure  and  puzzling  species. 

HARRY  S.  SWARTH. 

Los  Angeles,  California,  December  i,  1903. 


4  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

BIRDS   OF   THE    HUACHUCA     MOUNTAINS,    ARIZONA. 

Oxyechus  vociferus  (Linnaeus).     Killdeer. 

Throughout  the  spring  of  1903,  when  water  was  abundant  in  the 
mountains,  and  there  were  running  streams  in  most  of  the  washes  be« 
low,  several  pair  of  Killdeer  were  seen  along  the  streams  near  the  base 
of  the  range.  They  could  always  be  found  in  about  the  same  locality, 
and  presumably  bred  there.  Along  the  San  Pedro  River  they  are  quite 
common,  but  this  is  the  only  year  in  which  I  have  seen  them  near  the 
mountains. 

Callipepla  squamata  (Vigors).     Scaled  Partridge. 

Owing  to  the  lack  of  cover  near,  the  base  of  the  Huachucas,  the 
Scaled  Quail  is  but  seldom  seen  there ;  though  it  is  a  common  resident 
along  the  San  Pedro  River  and  up  to  within  five  or  six  miles  of  the 
mountains ;  as  far,  in  fact,  as  the  brush  extends.  I  have  seen  a  few  birds 
near  the  mouths  of  various  canyons,  usually  in  enclosed  pastures,  where 
the  grass  and  other  vegetation  attained  a  higher  growth  than  elsewhere; 
and  very  probably  a  few  pair  breed  in  such  localities. 

Cyrtonyx  montezumae  mearnsi  Nelson.     Mearns  Partridge. 

This  species  seems  to  be  scattered  irregularly  over  the  entire  range, 
though  much  more  abundant  on  the  western  than  on  the  eastern  slope; 
^nd  apparently  varies  greatly  in  numbers  in  different  years.  In  the 
summer  of  1896,  with  four  of  us  scouring  the  mountains  daily,  but  two 
pairs  of  birds  were  seen,  though  two  years  later,  in  1898,  Mr.  O.  W. 
Howard  found  them  to  be  most  abundant  in  the  same  region.  In  1902. 
in  spite  of  all  our  efforts,  Mr.  Howard  and  I  were  unable  to  find  a  single 
bird,  and  in  the  following  year,  1903,  though  informed  of  their  occurrence 
in  various  places  by  inhabitants  of  the  mountains,  I  saw  just  three  my- 
self. Owing  to  the  peculiar  habits  and  secretiveness  of  the  species, 
together  with  the  rough,  broken  nature  of  the  ground  in  which 
it  is  found,  it  is  quite  possible  for  it  to  be  fairly  abundant,  and  still  be 
entirely  overlooked.  If  there  are  any  of  the  quail  around,  indications  of 
their  presence  can  usually  be  found,  in  the  shape  of  small,  shallow  de- 
pressions in  the  grass  or  dead  leaves,  where  they  have  been  scratching 
or  dusting,  of  which  they  seem  to  do  a  great  deal.  As  far  as  I  could 
make  out  they  seemed  to  occur  indiscriminately  from  the  base  of  the 
mountains  to  the  top  of  the  highest  peaks. 

Meleagris  gallopavo  merriami  Nelson.    Merriam  Turkey. 

I  was  told  that  the  wild  turkeys  were  formerly  quite  abundant  in 
the  Huachucas,  but  at  present  they  are  rare,  though  apparently  distri- 
buted throughout  the  range.  Mr.  O.  W.  Howard  has  given  an  account 
of  the  capture  of  a  set  of  eggs  of  this  species  in  this  region  (Condor  II, 
1900,  page  55)  and  besides  the  bird  he  mentions,  I  have  heard  of  possibly 
half  a  dozen  more,  seen  in  the  last  three  or  four  years,  but  never  met 
with  any  myself. 

Coluiiiba  fasciata  Say.    Band-tailed  Pigeon. 

As  soon  as  the  acorns  begin  to  ripen  the  Band-tailed  Pigeons  put 
in  their  appearance  in  numbers  corresponding  with  the  size  of  the  crop ; 
and  throughout  the  summer  they  are  abundant  in  all  parts  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  earliest  date  of  arrival  noted  was  March  31,  1902,  when  three 
birds  were  seen,  but  this  is  exceptionally  early,  and  they  do  not  arrive 
in  any  numbers  before  May  i,  as  a  rule.    They  breed  rather  late  and  I 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  5 

have  seen  several  nests  containing  young  but  a  few  days  old  the  first 
week  in  September.  Large  flocks  may  be  seen  all  through  the  summer, 
feeding  in  the  oak  trees  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains,  hut  as  a 
rule,  they  seem  to  breed  at  rather  high  altitudes,  for  most  of  the  nests  I 
have  seen  have  been  above  8000  feet.  I  know  of  no  instance  in  which 
more  than  one  egg  or  one  young  bird  has  been  found  in  a  nest  in  this 
region.  During  the  breeding  season  the  male  bird  is  fond  of  sitting  in 
some  elevated  position,  usually  the  top  of  a  tall  dead  pine,  giving  utter- 
ance, at  frequent  intervals,  to  a  loud  "coo,"  more  like  the  note  of  an  owl 
than  a  pigeon,  which  can  be  heard  at  a  considerable  distance;  while 
occasionally  he  launches  himself  into  the  air,  and  with  wings  and  tail 
stiffly  outspread,  describes  a  large  circle  back  to  his  starting  point, 
uttering  meanwhile  a  peculiar,  wheezing  noise  impossible  of  description. 
I  had  supposed  that  this  noise  was  made  by  the  outspread  wings,  but  a 
male  bird  which  Mr.  Howard  had  in  his  possession  for  some  time,  gave 
utterance  to  the  same  sound  whenever  angered  or  excited,  evidently  by 
means  of  his  vocal  organs,  as  we  had  ample  opportunity  of  observing. 

JZenaidura  macroura  (Linnaeus).     Mourning  Dove. 

A  common  summer  resident,  at  times  appearing  in  incredibly  large 
numbers,  as  in  April,  1902,  when  they  were  particularly  abundant.  They 
fed  out  on  the  plains  below  the  mountains,  and  as  it  was  a  very  dry  year, 
were  obliged  to  fly  a  mile  or  two  up  the  canyons  for  water.  Morning  and 
evening  they  passed  over  our  camp  on  their  way  up  the  canyon,  the 
flight  lasting  from  half  to  three-quarters  of  an  hour  during  which  time 
there  was  an  almost  continuous  stream  of  birds  passing  overhead. 
During  this  time  they  formed  no  inconsiderable  part  of  our  daily  bill  of 
fare,  being  almost  the  only  thing  in  the  way  of  small  game  that  the 
mountains  afforded.  Although  usually  found  low  down  in  the  canyons, 
I  have  occasionally  seen  Mourning  Doves  as  high  as  gooo  feet. 

Melopelia  leucoptera  (Linnaeus).     White-winged  Dove. 

In  the  spring  the  White-winged  Doves  make  their  appearance  in  the 
lower  parts  of  the  mountains  in  small  numbers,  and  usually  in  company 
with  the  Mourning  Doves.  In  1902,  the  first  one  seen  was  on  April  30 
and  the  last  May  15th.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  one  was  taken  on 
August  6 ;  and  from  then  on  until  I  left,  September  5,  they  were  much 
more  abundant  than  I  have  ever  seen  them  in  the  spring.  Most  of  the 
fall  birds  were  young  of  the  year ;  as  a  rule  they  were  two  together, 
sometimes  pairs  and  sometimes  two  of  the  same  sex,  though  occasionally 
as  many  as  six  or  eight  were  seen  together.  The  White-winged  Dove 
breeds  rather  commonly  in  places  along  the  San  Pedro  River  some 
twenty  miles  distant,  but  I  know  of  no  instance  of  its  breeding  in  the 
Huachucas.  The  highest  altitude  at  which  I  have  seen  it  in  the  moun- 
tains is  5000  feet,  and  at  that  height  but  rarely. 

Columbigallina  passerina  pallescens  (B^ird).     Mexican  Ground  Dove. 

A  rare  migrant.  I  secured  a  m^Ie  bird  on  May  8,  IQ03,  the  onlv  one 
I  have  seen  in  the  mountains.  They  breed  along  the  San  Pedro  River, 
and  though  by  no  means  common,  a  pair  or  two  can  usually  be  found  in 
any  suitable  locality,  showing  a  marked  preference  for  the  cultivated 
fields  and  damp  pastures. 

Cathartes  aura  (Linnaeus).     Turkey  Vulture. 

Fairly  common  through  the  summer  months.  Mr.  F.  C.  Willard 
secured  a  set  of  eggs  in  Ramsey  Canyon,  but  they  don't  seem  to  breed 


6  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

in  the  mountains  in  any  numbers.  I  think  that  I  have  seen  more  in 
August  than  at  any  other  time,  but  they  are  never  very  abundant  unless 
there  is  some  carrion  around  on  which  they  have  been  feeding. 

Circus  hudsonius  (Linnaeus).     Marsh  Hawk. 

Quite  common  in  the  early  spring  on  the  grass  covered  plains  below 
the  mountains,  occasionally  venturing  up  into  the  foot  hills.  None  were 
seen  later  than  April  i. 

Accipiter  velox  rufilatus  Ridgway.     Western  Sharp-shinned  Hawk. 

A  fairly  common  migrant,  and  as  I  have  seen  one  or  two  at  various 
times  through  the  summer  months  T  presume  that  a  few  remain  to  breed. 
They  range  over  all  parts  of  the  mountains,  from  the  foothills  to  the 
summit  of  the  highest  peaks. 

Accipiter  cooperi  (Bonaparte).     Cooper  Hawk. 

Probably  a  resident,  and  fairly  common  though  extremely  wary;  for 
continual  warfare  is  waged  between  them  and  every  poultry  owner  in 
the  mountains.  There  are  one  or  two  pair  breeding  in  almost  every 
canyon,  and  as,  when  other  game  runs  short,  they  make  no  scruples  of 
picking  up  a  half  grown  chicken  from  under  its  owner's  nose,  it  is  only 
by  eternal  vigilance  that  they  are  enabled  to  continue  their  career.  I 
think  that  this  is  the  only  species  of  hawk  occurring  in  the  mountains 
that  makes  any  depradations  whatever  upon  the  chicken  yard. 

Accipiter  atricapillus  (Wilson).    American  Goshawk. 

On  two  occasions  in  April,  1903,  I  saw  what  I  took  to  be  a  Goshawk 
circling  overhead  at  the  top  of  the  mountains.  I  have  also  seen  in  the 
possession  of  one  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  mountains,  a  pair  of  wings 
undoubtedly  belonging  to  an  individual  of  this  species,  which  he  had 
shot. 

Buteo  borealis  calurus  (Cassin).    Western  Red-tailed  Hawk. 

Though  not  at  all  abundant  a  few  pair  breed  in  the  higher  parts  of 
the  mountains,  and  the  same  birds  can  be  seen  day  after  day  in  about  the 
same  locality.  In  1902  a  pair  raised  a  brood  near  the  head  of  the  Miller 
Canyon,  and  through  the  month  of  August  I  frequently  saw  the  young 
birds  in  the  same  locality.  They  were  very  tame  and  unsuspicious,  and 
on  several  occasions  one  lit  on  a  tree  under  which  I  was  resting,  evi- 
dently out  of  sheer  curiosity. 

Buteo  abbreviatus  Cabanis.     Zone-tailed  Hawk. 

Not  at  all  common.  A  pair  were  seen  throughout  the  spring  and 
summer  of  1902,  but  I  doubt  very  much  if  they  bred,  as  the  two  were 
continually  seen  together  up  to  September,  when  I  left.  A  single  bird 
was  several  times  seen  in  the  same  canyon  during'  the  spring  of  1903, 
'and  I  have  seen  possibly  half  a  dozen  more  in  different  parts  of  the 
mountains. 

Buteo  swainsoni  Bonaparte.     Swainson  Hawk. 

A  very  abundant  summer  resident  on  the  plains  between  the  Hua- 
chucas  and  the  San  Pedro  River.  Occasionally  a  bird  ventures  up  into 
the  canyons,  but  I  have  never  found  any  breeding  in  the  mountains 
proper.  In  the  washes,  half  a  mile  or  so  below  the  mouths  of  the 
canyons,  where  the  trees  begin  to  thin  out  and  the  country  to  become 
more  open,  they  nest  commonly  in  the  walnuts,  sycamores  and  mes- 
quites,  the  nests  being  seldom  over  thirty  feet  from  the  ground  and 


April  1004]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  ^ 

usually  much  below  that.  The  Swainson  Hawks  arrive  early  in  April, 
the  first  observed  in  1903  being  on  April  3,  and  they  soon  become  quite 
abundant.  They  are  very  uniform  in  coloration,  being  practically  all  in 
the  light  phase  of  plumage.  The  only  exceptions  to  this  that  I  have  seen, 
at  least  of  breeding  birds,  were  a  female  from  which  I  secured  a  set  of 
eggs  on  June  4,  1902,  which  had  a  great  deal  of  dark  chestnut  markings 
on  the  lower  parts,  abdomen  and  thighs;  and  a  female  from  which  T 
secured  a  set,  below  the  Santa  Rita  Mountains,  some  forty  miles  north- 
west of  the  Huachucas ;  which  last  appeared  to  be  nearly  black,  being 
fuUv  as  dark  as  any  Southern  California  szvainsoni  that  I  have  seen.  On 
September  5,  1902,  while  driving  from  the  mountains  to  the  train,  enor- 
mous flocks  of  Swainson  Hawks  were  seen  between  Fort  Huachuca  and 
the  railroad,  hundreds  being  in  sight  at  once.  Many  were  circling  over- 
head at  an  average  height  of  about  fifty  yards,  and  as  many  more  were 
lit  on  the  prairie  on  all  sides,  feeding  on  the  grasshoppers,  which  abound 
there.  The  grass  was  so  high  as  to  hide  many  of  them,  but  in  several 
places  along  the  road  I  counted  a  dozen  or  more  in  a  space  ten  feet 
square.  The  great  majority  of  them  were  in  the  light  phase  of  plumage, 
but  I  saw  two  or  three  which  appeared  nearly  black,  and  about  every 
possible  phase  of  plumage  between  the  two  extremes.  The  flocks  were 
slowly  moving  in  a  southerly  direction,  and,  as  far  as  I  could  make  out, 
contained  no  species  of  hawk  but  szvainsoni.  Of  the  few  specimens  of 
the  Swainson  Hawk  which  I  prepared,  the  stomachs  contained  nothing 
but  grasshoppers,  which  are  so  extremely  abundant  on  the  grassy  plains 
of  this  region  that  I  doubt  if  these  hawks  eat  much  of  anything  else 
while  staying  here. 

Aquila  chrysaetos  (Linnaeus).     Golden  Eagle. 

Resident  throughout  the  year  but  not  in  any  great  numbers.  Along 
the  divide  of  the  mountains,  where  they  undoubtedly  breed,  a  pair  or  two 
can  be  seen  at  almost  any  time,  and  occasionally  a  bird  is  seen  on  the 
plains  below,  hunting  jack-rabbits  or  prairie  dogs.  During  August,  1902, 
I  several  times  saw  what  appeared  to  be  young  of  the  year. 

Falco  mexicanus  Schlegel.    Prairie  Falcon. 

In  my  experience  the  Prairie  Falcon  is  of  quite  rare  occurrence  in 
this  region.  Mr.  O.  W.  Howard  secured  a  set  of  eggs  of  this  species  in 
the  Huachuca  Mountains  (see  Condor  Vol.  IV.  1902,  page  57)  and  prob- 
ably a  few  other  pairs  breed  in  scattered  localities  throughout  the  range, 
but  taking  it  altogether,  I  doubt  if  I  have  seen  over  half  a  dozen  of  the 
birds.  On  April  6,  1902,  Mr.  Howard  and  I  watched  a  pair  flying  about 
a  rocky  clifif  in  Ramsey  Canyon.  They  were  apparently  in  search  of  a 
nesting  site  for  they  flew  into  quite  a  number  of  caves  and  crevices  in 
the  rock,  screaming  shrilly  the  while,  but  on  a  later  visit  to  the  place  we 
failed  to  find  them. 

Falco  pergrinus  anatum  (Bonaparte).    Duck  Hawk. 

A  rare  migrant.  On  April  20,  1902,  a  fine  old  female  was  secured 
at  the  base  of  the  mountains,  the  onlv  one  T  have  seen  in  this  localitv : 
though  several  others  were  observed  at  various  times  along  the  San 
Pedro  River,  where  the  migrating  water  fowl  probable  aflford  a  more 
congenial  field  of  operations.  The  one  secured  had  been  preying  on  the 
Mourning  Doves  which  abounded  in  the  vicinity  at  the  time. 

Falco  columbarius  Linneaus.     Pigeon  Hawk. 

Of  very  rare  occurrence.  A  single  bird  which  passed  over  me  on 
February  23,  1903,  is  the  only  one  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  Huachucas. 


8  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [Na.  4 

Falco  fusco-coerulescens  Vieillot.     Aplomado  Falcon. 

In  Bendire's  "Life  Histories"  there  appears  a  detailed  account  of 
the  nesting  of  this  species  on  the  plains  below  Fort  Huachuca.  Although 
evidently  of  quite  common  occurrence  in  this  region  at  the  time  the  data 
for  the  article  mentioned  was  gathered,  in  1887,  since  then  they  seem 
to  have  left  the  country  altogether.  Time  and  again  I  have  driven  over 
these  plains  without  ever  seeing  a  single  bird  which  I  could  ascribe  ta 
this  species,  nor  do  I  know  of  any  being  seen  or  taken  in  this  region  with- 
in the  last  few  years.  What  could  have  caused  them  to  shift  their  loca- 
tion so  absolutely  it  is  hard  to  surmise. 

Falco  sparverius  phaloena  (Lesson).     Desert  Sparrow  Hawk. 

During  the  migrations  the  Sparrow  Hawks  are  most  abundant  on 
the  plains,  where  the  swarms  of  grasshoppers  afiford  them  an  abundance 
of  food.  They  breed  in  the  oak  regions  of  the  foothills,  and  also  in  the 
pines  on  the  summit,  but  in  the  canyons  they  are  seldom  seen ;  seeming 
to  prefer  the  more  open  prairies  and  the  uninterrupted  view  from  the 
moimtain  tops,  to  the  narrower,  more  restricted  canyons.  With  a  mild 
winter  I  suppose  they  might  remain  the  year  through,  but  in  1903  the 
weather  was  cold  and  there  was  lots  of  snow  on  the  ground ;  and  I  saw 
no  Sparrow  Hawks  until  the  middle  of  March.  From  this  time  until  the 
middle  of  April  they  were  very  abundant,  by  which  time  the  migrating 
birds  had  passed  on.  In  1902  the  southerly  movement  was  begun  about 
the  first  of  August,  when  the  young  birds  began  to  make  their  appear- 
ance in  large  numbers.  From  this  time  until  I  left,  September  5,  they 
were  exceedingly  abundant  everywhere  on  the  plains  and  foothills. 

Syrnium  occidentale  Xantus.     Spotted  Owl. 

The  Spotted  Owl  is  resident  in  the  Huachucas,  above  6500  feet, 
particularly  favoring  the  extensive,  dark  thickets  of  quaking  asp  found 
in  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains,  but  occurring  also  in  suitable  local- 
ities along  the  canyons,  usually  not  far  from  water.  There  are  probably 
at  least  a  pair  or  two  in  every  canyon,  and  their  varied  and  uncanny 
hooting  is  often  heard  in  the  most  unexpected  of  places,  occasionally  in 
broad  daylight. 

Megascops  asio  cineraceus  Ridgway.     Mexican  Screech  Owl. 

The  common  Screech  Owl  of  this  region.  Probably  resident,  for  I 
have  heard  them  hooting  in  February,  they  are  most  abundant  in  the 
oak  region  of  the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains ;  and  I  do  not  recall  ever 
seeing  one  above  6500  feet,  though  they  may  occur  at  a  higher  elevation. 
Compared  with  specimens  of  cineraceus  taken  at  Tucson,  the  Huachuca 
Mountains  birds  are  appreciably  darker,  both  above  and  beneath  ;  the 
ground  color  being  dark  slaty  gray,  quite  different  from  the-  pale  ashy 
of  the  bird  of  the  lowlands. 

Megascops  trichopsis  (Wagler).     Spotted  Screech  Owl. 

Though  it  is  hard  to  estimate  the  relative  abundance  of  secretive, 
nocturnal  birds  like  the  Screech  Owl,  this  species  does  not  appear  to  be 
nearly  as  common  in  the  Huachucas  as  cineraceus  is,  and  from  my  ex- 
perience it  would  seem  to  be  of  quite  rare  occurrence.  I  have  seen  just 
two  specimens  taken  in  the  Huachucas;  one  a  male,  taken  by  W.  B. 
Judson,  May  28,  1896,  at  about  6000  feet,  altitude;  and  the  second,  also' 
a  male,  taken  by  H.  Kimball,  September  29,  1895,  and  now  in  my 
collection. 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  9 

Megascops  flammeolus  (Kaup).     Flammulated  Screech  Owl. 

Although  the  Flammulated  Screech  Owl  is  quite  a  common  migrant 
in  the  Huachucas  some  years,  I  believe  that  but  very  few  remain  to 
breed,  the  bulk  of  them  going  farther  north.  In  i8g6  eight,  and  in  1902 
seven,  specimens  were  secured  ;  and  of  these,  I  believe  all  but  one  were 
migrating  birds.  The  exception  was  a  female,  taken,  with  a  set  of  two 
baldly  incubated  eggs,  by  H.  G.  Rising  on  June  7,  1896.  Of  the  others  the 
earliest  secured  was  on  April  22,  1902,  and  the  latest  on  May  12  of  the 
same  year.  All  were  shot  where  they  were  sitting  in  the  trees,  usually 
in'  dense  thickets  almost  impossible  to  penetrate;  and  this  fact  may 
perhaps  account  for  so  few  specimens  of  this  bird  being  taken,  as  quite 
half  of  those  secured  were  found  while  searching  for  the  nest  of  such 
bf.rds  as  bred  in  the  thick  brush.  On  May  5,  1902,  O.  W.  Howard 
secured  two  females  in  some  willows  on  the  San  Pedro  River,  fifteen 
miles  from  the  mountains  and  an  exceptionally  low  altitude  for  this 
species,  about  3000  feet.  The  breeding  bird  mentioned  was  taken  at 
about  8000  feet  elevation  ;  and  all  the  others,  from  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain (about  4500  feet)  up  to  6000  feet.  In  1903  I  did  not  see  a  singl'e 
Flammulated  Screech  Owl,  and  it  is  noteworthy  that  ciiicracens  was  also 
much  more  scarce  than  it  had  been  during  the  previous  year.  The 
stomachs  of  such  as  I  examined  contained  nothing  but  beetles  and  other 
insects,  indicating  an  entirely  insectivorus  diet  on  the  part  of  this  species. 

Bubo  virginianus  pallescens  Stone.    Western  Horned  Owl. 

I  have  seen  but  very  few  Horned  Owls  in  the  Huachucas,  although 
along  the  San  Pedro  River  it  appears  to  be  of  fairly  common  occurrence. 
In  1896  one  made  his  home  in  a  cavity  in  the  face  of  a  high  precipice 
overlooking  our  camp,  and  hardly  a  night  passed  that  we  did  not  see 
•him  appear  about  dusk,  and  after  a  few  preliminary  hoots,  start  out  in 
search  of  provender.  A  male  I  secured  on  May  6,  1903,  at  the  mouth  of 
Miller  Canyon,  was  evidently  not  breeding.  I  have  heard  one  or  two 
others  hooting  at  various  times,  but  these  two  are  all  that  I  have  se^^n 
and  I  believe  that  they  are  anything  but  common  in  the  mountains.  The 
male  bird  mentioned  above  is  exceedingfly  pale  in  coloration,  more 
so  than  any  other  Southern  Arizona  specimen  I  have  seen,  though  the 
plumage  is  fresh  and  unworn  and  does  not  appear  to  be  faded  by  the 
action  of  the  sun.  The  general  appearance  of  the  upper  parts  is  dark 
gray,  with  the  head  and  ear  tufts  rather  darker,  but  with  very  little  of 
brownish  or  rusty  markings  anywhere.  The  throit,  median  line  of 
breast,  abdomen,  tibiae  and  feet  are  pure  white,  while  the  sides  of  the 
body  are  white,  finely  marked  with  narrow,  dark  vermiculations. 

Speotyto  cunicularia  hypogaea   (Bonaparte).     Burrowing  Owl. 

Burrowing  Owls  are  to  be  seen  in  considerable  numbers  in  the  vari- 
ous prairie  dog  "towns"  between  the  Huachucas  and  the  San  Pedro 
River,  and  a  few  are  scattered  elsewhere  over  the  prairies,  some  coming 
quite  to  the  base  of  the  mountains. 

Glaucidium  gnoma  Wagler.     Pygmy  Owl. 

I  have  seen  but  very  few  Pygmy  Owls  in  the  mountains,  and  though 
very  possibly  resident  there,   I   doubt  if  they  are  very  abundant.     On 
August  3,  1902,  I  saw  a  pair  of  very  ragged  birds  but  was  unable  to 
secure  either  of  them. 


lO  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.   4 

Crotophaga  sulcirostris  Swainson.     Groove-billed  Ani. 

The  capture  of  a  single  specimen  of  this  bird  near  the  Huachuca 
Mountains  has  been  recorded  by  O.  C.  Poling.  (See  Auk  Vol.  VIII, 
1891,  page  313.) 

Geococcyx  calif ornianus  (Lesson).     Road-runner. 

Road-runners  are  fairly  abundant  all  through  the  foothill  region, 
and  I  occasionally  saw  them  far  up  the  canyons;' at  least  once  at  an 
altitude  of  about  6500  feet. 

Coccyzus  americanus  occidentalis  Ridgway.     California  Cuckoo. 

A  rare  migrant,  but  of  fairly  regular  occurrence  both  in  spring  and 
fall.  Along  the  San  Pedro  River  it  is  a  fairly  common  summer  resident, 
breeding  in  all  suitable  localities ;  but  in  the  mountains  it  is  only  a  stray 
pair  or  two  that  remains  to  breed.  O.  W.  Howard  found  a  nest  con- 
taining two  badly  incubated  eggs,  on  June  28,  1896,  in  Ramsey  Canyon 
at  an  altitude  of  about  6000  feet.  The  eggs  were  beyond  saving  and 
were  left,  and  a  day  or  two  later  young  birds  were  seen  in  the  nest.  An 
adult  male  was  secured  on  August  21,  1902. 

Trogon  ambiguus  Gould.     Coppery-tailed  Trogon. 

Probably  of  fairly  regular  occurrence  in  the  mountains  during  the 
summer  months.  I  have  never  been  fortunate  enough  to  run  across  any 
myself,  but  O.  W.  Howard  informs  me  that  he  has  seen  them  on  several 
occasions,  and  specimens  have  been  taken  by  G.  F.  Breninger,  R.  D. 
Lusk,  and  others.  A  hunter  on  the  west  side  of  the  mountains  told  me 
that  he  had  killed  one  in  the  summer  of  1902,  and  that  he  knew  of  another 
that  was  killed  close  by  at  about  the  same  time. 

Ceryle  alcyon  (Linnaeus).     Belted  Kingfisher. 

On  April  15,  1903,  a  Belted  Kingfisher  lit  on  a  tree  overhanging  the 
tent  I  was  occupying,  and  gave  utterance  to  his  loud  rattling  call  to 
announce  his  arrival.  This  is  the  only  occasion  on  which  I  have  seen 
this  species  in  the  mountains ;  none  of  the  streams  are  large  enough  to 
support  any  fish,  and  an  occasional  stray  bird  which  drops  in  to  rest 
during  the  migration,  is  probably  all  that  visits  the  range. 

Dryobates  villosus  hyloscopus   (Cabanis).     Cabanis  Woodpecker. 

Fairly  abundant  in  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains,  from  7000  feet 
upward.  They  may  be  seen  almost  anywhere  in  that  region,  but  for 
breeding  purposes,  seem  to  particularly  favor  the  dense  thickets  of 
quaking  asp.  They  do  not  seem  to  remain  through  the  winter  months ; 
at  any  rate  I  saw  none  during  February,  1903,  nor  did  any  appear  until 
March  17,  when  I  secured  two  and  saw  one  other.  Ten  days  later  they 
were  quite  abundant.  The  winter  of  1902-1903  was  quite  cold,  with  a 
great  deal  of  snow  on  the  ground,  and  it  is  possible  that  with  a  milder 
winter  they  might  remain  the  year  through.  There  does  not  seem  to  be 
any  vertical  migration  on  the  part  of  this  woodpecker,  for  I  saw  none 
below  7000  feet,  and  but  very  few  as  low  as  that.  Specimens  from  the 
Huachucas  compared  with  Southern  California  examples  of  hyloscopus 
average  rather  smaller,  with  decidedly  smaller  and  weaker  bills. 

Dryobates  scalaris  bairdi  (Malherbe).    Texan  Woodpecker. 

On  the  dry  and  comparatively  barren  foothills  the  Texan  Wood- 
pecker is  a  fairly  abundant  resident,  breeding  usually  in  the  dead  stalks 
of  the  mescal  plant,  which  grows  in  abundance  throughout  the  moun- 
tains.   This  woodpecker  is  seldom  seen  above  5500  feet,  and  rarely  ven- 


April   IQO4]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  II 

tures  into  the  canyons.  On  the  plains  below,  wherever  there  is  brush  or 
trees,  and  all  along  the  San  Pedro  River  it  is  very  common,  as  in  fact,  I 
have  found  it  in  all  similar  places  I  have  visited  in  Southern  Arizona.  I 
have  frequently  observed  the  bird  feeding  in  small  bushes  close  to  the 
ground,  and  often  at  work  on  the  leaves  of  a  cactus,  seeming  to  be  gen- 
erally less  dependant  on  the  presence  of  large  timber  than  any  of  the 
other  woodpeckers. 

Dryobates  arizonae  (Hargitt).    Arizona  Woodpecker. 

Although  the  Arizona  Woodpecker  is  resident  the  year  through  in 
the  Huachucas,  it  is  singular  how  the  birds  seem  to  disappear  in  the 
breeding  season,  that  is  from  the  middle  of  April  to  the  middle  of  June, 
when  the  young  birds  begins  to  leave  the  nest.  During  this  time  their 
loud  shrill  call  may  be  occasionally  heard  from  some  wooded  hillside, 
but  the  birds  themselves  are  seldom  seen.  I  have  taken  specimens  from 
the  base  of  the  mountains,  about  4500  feet  altitude,  up  to  8000  feet,  but 
they  are  not  often  seen  above  7000  feet.  In  the  winter  they  seem  to  more 
particularly  favor  the  large  groves  of  live-oaks  along  the  foot-hills  and 
at  the  mouths  of  the  canyons ;  scattering  over  the  mountains  and  as- 
cending to  rather  a  higher  elevation  upon  the  advent  of  the  breeding 
season.  They  breed  indiscriminately  in  the  large  trees  along  the  canyon 
streams,  in  the  oaks  on  the  hillsides,  and  occasionally  in  a  dead  mescal 
stalk  in  the  same  locality  as  the  Texan  Woodpecker.  Although  a  fairly 
common  bird  in  the  region  they  frequent,  I  have  never  found  them  at  all 
gregarious ;  except  in  the  summer  when  a  pair  of  old  birds  with  three 
or  four  young  may  frequently  be  seen  ;  never  more  than  a  single  brood 
however  and  these  small  gatherings  break  up  before  the  young  acquire 
the  adult  plumage.  What  I  have  frequently  seen  though,  occasionally 
even  in  the  breeding  season,  is  two  old  males  bearing  each  other  com- 
pany, and  usually  sticking  pretty  close  together. 

About  the  third  week  in  April  they  commence  laying  their  eggs,  and 
after  the  middle  of  June  the  young  birds  begin  to  leave  the  nest,  and 
soon  become  quite  abundant.  I  have  never  had  any  difificulty  in  ap- 
proaching these  birds  as  they  are  usually  quite  tame  and  unsuspicious ; 
far  more  so  than  the  generality  of  woodpeckers,  and  the  young  birds  are 
noticeably  so.  I  have  several  times  stood  within  ten  feet  of  a  young 
bird,  easily  distinguishable  by  his  red  cap,  as  he  was  industriously 
pounding  on  a  limb  without  seeming  in  the  least  disturbed  by  my  pres- 
ence, or  showing  any  inclination  to  leave.  On  one  occasion  the  con- 
fiding, and  in  this  case  inquiring  nature  of  the  bird  occasioned  rather  a 
laughable  scene.  An  acquaintance  in  the  mountains,  passing  the  camp 
one  day  stopped  to  lead  his  horse  down  to  the  well  which  supplied  us 
with  water.  A  young  Arizona  Woodpecker  was  sitting  in  an  oak  tree 
close  by,  and  soon  after  the  horse  began  drinking  he  flew  down,  and 
lighting  on  the  animal's  hind  leg  as  on  the  side  of  a  tree,  hit  it  a  vigorous 
rap  or  two.  The  horse  and  its  owner  appeared  equally  surprised,  and 
both  moving  a  little  the  bird  retreated  to  his  tree.  It  wasn't  a  minute  be- 
fore he  was  back  again,  this  time  on  a  front  leg,  where  he  went  to  work 
with  such  energy  as  to  start  the  horse  plunging  and  kicking  in  an  effort 
to  get  rid  of  its  curious  assailant.  The  woodpecker  left  but  did  not  seem 
to  be  particularly  frightened,  as  he  sat  on  the  wooden  curb  of  the  well 
until  he  was  left  alone  again. 

The  Arizona  Woodoecker  commences  to  moult  about  the  middle  of 
July,  and  by  the  first  weeK  in  September  the  new  plumage  is  almost  com- 
pletely acquired.    The  plumage  of  the  breast,  abdomen,  and  lower  parts 


12  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

generally,  seems  to  be  the  first  to  be  renewed,  while  the  remiges,  rec- 
trices  and  feathers  of  the  interscapular  region  are  the  last  to  get  their 
growth.  An  old  fernale  shot  on  September  3  had  practically  completed 
its  moult,  with  the  exception  of  the  tail  feathers,  none  of  which  were 
over  half  an  inch  long;  while  several  specimens  of  both  sexes,  taken 
during  the  last  two  weeks  in  August,  are  in  nearly  perfect  autumnal 
plumage,  except  for  some  small  patches  of  old  feathers  in  the  inter- 
scapular region.  Fall  specimens  are  considerably  darker  on  the  back 
than  birds  taken  during  the  spring  and  summer,  but  the  change  is  un- 
doubtedly due  to  fading  of  the  plumage,  as  birds  taken  in  the  late  winter 
and  early  spring,  show  not  the  slightest  traces  of  moult,  and  a  series  of 
birds  taken  from  February  to  July,  show  plainly  the  gradual  change  of 
coloration.  Singularly  enough  the  pileum  and  back  of  the  neck  does  not 
seem  to  fade  as  the  dorsum  does,  and  consequently,  while  birds  in  fresh 
fall  plumage  are  of  practically  uniform  coloration  on  the  upper  parts, 
specimens  taken  in  the  late  spring  and  summer  have  the  head  and  neck 
abruptly  darker  than  the  back  and  exposed  portion  of  the  wings.  Young 
birds  of  both  sexes  have  the  pileum  red,  and  although  it  is  not  always 
safe  to  lay  down  rules  concerning  young  birds,  the  sexes  not  always 
being  easy  to  ascertain  with  certainty,  there  seems  to  be  some  difiference 
in  the  marking  of  the  juvenile  male  and  female.  In  no  case  does  the  red 
cap  extend  over  the  entire  pileum  :  the  anterior  portion  is  always  brown 
like  the  back,  and  in  some  young  females  half  the  surface  is  without  any 
red.  In  the  young  female,  besides  occupying  a  less  extensive  surface, 
the  red  is  less  intense  than  in  the  male,  and  not  as  solid,  that  is  there  is 
always  more  or  less  brown  showing  through.  The  red  cap  of  the  juvenile 
bird  seems  to  be  worn  but  a  short  time,  as  a  young  female  taken  Septem- 
ber 4  has  hardly  a  trace  of  it  remaining.  Young  birds  are  lighter  un- 
derneath than  the  adult,  with  the  markings  of  the  under  parts  less 
plainly  defined,  but  there  is  a  difference  in  this  respect  between  autum- 
nal and  spring  adults  also ;  and  in  each  instance  it  is  caused  by  the  dark 
markings  being  obscured  by  light  colored  edges  to  the  feathers,  which 
disappear  by  abrasion  later  on.  Of  twenty-four  specimens  from  this 
region  four  show  more  or  less  traces  of  white  bars  across  the  rump ;  one 
of  these  is  a  male  in  nuptial  plumage,  one  a  male  in  freshly  acquired 
autumnal  plumage,  one  a  female  in  nuptial  plumage  (this  specim.en  his 
some  faint  indications  of  white  bars  on  some  of  the  scapulars  as  well), 
and  -one  is  a  young  male.  Another  spring  female  has  some  white  bars 
on  the  scapulars  but  none  on  the  rump.  Presumably  this  is  a  tendency 
toward  the  Mexican  species  Dryobatcs  stricklandi. 

SphjTapicus  varius  nuchalis  Raird.     Red-naped  Sapsucker. 

In  February,  1903,  I  found  this  species  fairly  abundant  in  the  Hua- 
chucas,  and  pretty  equally  distributed  over  all  parts  of  the  mountains ; 
though  possibly  more  abundant  in  the  pine  forests  of  the  higher  p-^rts 
of  the  range  than  elsewhere.  They  remained  in  diminishing  numbers 
up  to  March  26,  on  which  date  I  secured  the  last  one  I  saw.  I  was  rather 
surprised  at  their  leaving  so  early,  the  more  so  that  during  the  previous 
year  the  only  one  I  saw  for  the  season  was  a  male  which  I  secured  on 
April  25.  Nearly  all  the  specimens  secured  showed  more  or  less  s'gns 
of  moult  on  the  throat  and  breast,  though  not  elsewhere.  One  young 
male,  shot  February  21,  had  but  a  few  scattered  red  feathers  on  the 
crown,  and  one  or  two  black  ones  on  the  breast;  the  red  throat  patch 
being  nearly  perfect.  In  the  specimens  secured  the  color  of  the  lower 
parts  varies  from  almost  pure  white  to  rather  bright  sulphur  yellow. 


April   1904]         BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  13 

Sphyrapicus  thyroideus  (Cassin).     Williamson  Sapsucker. 

On  April  6,  1902,  I  saw  about  a  dozen  Williamson  Sapsuckers  near 
the  summit  of  the  mountains  at  an  altitude  of  about  9000  feet.  Though 
not  at  all  in  a  compact  flock  they  seemed  to  keep  rather  close  together, 
and  when  one  flew  any  distance  away,  the  others  soon  followed.  The 
bulk  of  them  were  females,  and  but  one  or  two  males  were  seen,  one  of 
which  was,  with  great  difificulty  secured,  for  they  were  very  wild.  On 
April  9  several  more  were  seen  and  a  female  secured  at  this  same  place ; 
and  a  male  was  taken  a  mile  or  two  from  this  place,  at  an  altitude  of 
nearly  10,000  feet.  These  were  the  last  I  saw  in  the  spring,  though  they 
do  occur  later  as  I  have  a  female  that  was  taken  in  the  Huachucas  by  H. 
Kimball  on  April  20,  1895.  On  August  30,  1902,  I  secured  a  female  in 
Tanner  Canyon  at  an  altitude  not  over  7000  feet,  the  lowest  point  at 
which  I  have  seen  this  species  in  the  mountains.  I  think  that  this  bird 
was  a  migrant  returning  south  early,  as  I  doubt  very  much  if  they  breed 
anywhere  in  the  Huachucas.  On  February  21,  1903,  I  shot  a  female  at 
the  same  place  where  I  had  seen  so  many  the  previous  year ;  it  was  a 
favorite  locality  for  nucholis  and- 1  took  several  of  that  species  there,  but 
saw  no  more  of  thyroideus,  nor  were  any  more  seen  for  the  remainder 
of  the  time  I  was  in  the  mountains. 

Melanerpes  formicivorus  aculeatus  Mearns.     Ant-eating  Woodpecker. 

A  most  abundant  summer  resident  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  a  few  winter  here  but  they  are  scarce  during  the  cold  weather.  I 
saw  but  two  or  three  during  February  and  the  early  part  of  March,  about 
the  middle  of  March  they  began  to  arrive  in  numbers,  and  by  April  i 
were  most  abundant.  Primarily  a  bird  of  the  oak  woods  they  seldom 
venture  into  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains,  breeding  almost  entirely 
below  6000  feet.  About  July  i  the  young  birds  begin  to  make  their  ap- 
pearance so  like  the  adults  in  general  appearance  that  it  is  difficult  to 
distinguish  between  them.  The  young  of  both  sexes  usually  have  the 
entire  crown  red,  as  in  the  adult  male,  but  of  a  duller  color,  more  of  a 
brick  red ;  but  one  young  female  secured  has  the  red  area  very  limited 
and  coming  to  a  point  behind,  so  as  to  form  a  small,  triangular  shaped 
patch  on  the  crown.  Of  seventeen  specimens  collected  in  the  Huachucas, 
three  show,  more  or  less  distinctly,  white  markings  on  the  outer  <"^il 
feathers.  In  one  of  these,  an  adult  female,  the  marks  consist  of  indistinct 
white  spots,  mostly  on  the  inner  web.  The  other  two,  juvenile  females, 
have  the  outer  feathers  distinctly,  though  irregularly,  barred  with  white 
for  about  half  their  length. 

Aculeatus  seems  to  me  to  be  a  perfectly  good  subspecies,  inter- 
mediate in  characteristics  and  habitat  between  true  formicivorus  and 
bairdi,  as  claimed  for  it  by  its  describer.  (See  Auk  Vol.  VH,  1900,  249). 
My  Huachuca  Mountain  birds  have  the  "solid"  black  breast  of  bairdi. 
and  in  the  coloration  and  markings  of  the  lower  parts  generally,  are  abso- 
lutely indistinguishable  from  that  race;  but  they  are  smaller,  with* 
smaller  and  weaker  bills,  and  possess  one  important  characteristic  over- 
looked by  Dr.  Mearns  in  his  description- of  aculeatus,  which  serves  to 
distinguish  them  from  either  formiciz'orus  or  bairdi.  This  is  the  pattern 
of  coloration  of  the  crown  in  the  females,  in  which  respect  the  Arizona 
birds  apparently  approach  the  Lower  California  form  angustifrons.  In 
most  cases  the  width  of  the  white  or  yellow  frontal  band  and  the  black 
crown  band  is  about  equal  to  the  width  (longitudinally)  of  the  red  occi- 
pital patch.     Occasionally  it  is  a  trifle  greater,  but  invariably  the  black 


14  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  41 

crown    patch    I's    much    more   narrow    than   in   bairdi.     The   red  occipital 
patch  in  the  female  is  usually  almost  square  in  shape. 

Following  is  a  table  of  measurements  of  ten  specimens  of  Melanerpcs 
formicivoriis  aculcatus  from  Southern  Ari.?:ona  : 


Number 

Sex 

Date 

Locality 

Length 

.Alar 

Wing 

Culmeiv 

Coll.  H.  S. 

s. 

expanse 

3414 

Male 

Feb.  25, 

1903 

Huachuca 

Mts. 

9  56 

17  50 

531 

I   06 

3544 

'  ■ 

Mar    19, 

' ' 

t  ( 

9.18 

17  37 

5  44 

I.  12 

3121 

' ' 

Aug.  2  1, 

1902 

' ' 

918 

17  69 

5-75 

I. 

2906 

" 

July  4. 

" 

' ' 

8  50 

16.37 

5  31 

•94 

6292* 

1 1 

June  20, 

1903 

Sta.  Rita 

10. 

17-31 

556 

I. 

3490 

Female 

Mar    10, 

(( 

Huachuca 

9  06 

1725 

5-50 

I. 

3044 

'• 

Aug.  12, 

1902 

"  . 

8.87 

1750 

556 

I. 

3111 

( ( 

Aug  20, 

t  > 

' ' 

9.06 

17.44 

562 

•94 

2904 

( t 

July  3. 

" 

( 1 

8.62 

17  44 

5-44 

•94- 

6'29r* 

i  < 

July  20, 

1903 

Sta    Rita 

9- 

17.12 

5  37 

I . 

*  Collection  of  F.  Stephens. 

Asyndesmus  torquatus  (Wilson).     Lewis  Woodpecker. 

Of  irregular  occurrence  in  this  region,  in  1902  I  found  them  fairly 
common  when  I  arrived  in  the  mountains  at  the  end  of  March,  and  they 
remained  so  until  about  the  first  of  May.  They  did  not  venture  into  the 
canyons  at  any  time,  but  remained  in  the  groves  of  live  oaks  extending 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains.  The  following  year  they  did  not  put 
in  an  appearance  at  all,  in  fact  this  is  the  only  year  that  I  have  seen  them 
in  the  Huachucas. 

Centurus  uropygialis  Baird.     Gila  Woodpecker. 

Although  the  Gila  Woodpecker  is  a  common  resident  all  along  the 
valley  of  the  San  Pedro  River,  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains  it  is  of  rare 
and  very  irregular  occurrence.  This  woodpecker  does  not  seem  to  mi- 
grate south  from  this  region  to  any  extent,  but  after  the  breeding  season 
it  spreads  out  over  a  greater  area,  and  wanders  to  places  it  does  not 
frequent  during  the  summer.  A  such  times  it  occasionally  strays  up  intO' 
the  Huachucas,  but  I  doubt  very  much  if  any  breed  in  the  range.  I  saw 
one  on  August  30,  1902,  and  secured  a  female  on  March  9,  1903.  One  or 
two  others  were  seen  about  the  latter  date  but  none  later  than  March- 15  r 
ajl  were  right  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  at  an  altitude  of  about  4500. 

Colaptes  cafer  collaris  (Vigors).    Red-shafted  Flicker. 

A  common  resident  throughout  the  mountains,  but  during  the 
breeding  season  restricted  to  rathef  a  higher  altitude  than  at  other  times. 
They  seldom  breed  below  5500  feet  and  from  there  on  up  become  more 
and  more  abundant  as  the  summit  is  approached.  They  begin  to  lay  the 
first  week  in  May  and  the  full  grown  juveniles  are  tolerable  abundant 
by  the  third  week  in  July. 

Antrostomus  vociferus  macromystax  (Wagler).  Stephens  Whip-poor- 
will. 
A  fairly  abundant  summer  resident,  occurring  principally  between 
5000  and  8000  feet ;  they  may  occasionally  occur  at  a  little  higher  eleva- 
tion, but  I  have  never  seen  any  below  the  lowest  altitude  given.  In  1903 
the  first  I  saw  was  on  April  28,  and  soon  after  their  notes  could  be  heard 
every  evening,  usually  from  some  thickly  wooded  hillside,  near  the  bot- 
tom of  the  canyon.  The  birds  themselves  were  but  seldom  seen  and  I 
never  observed  any  alight  on  a  road  ar  trail,  as  their  near  relative  the- 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA,  15 

Poor-will  does  so  habitually  of  an  evening.  They  seem  to  remain  rather 
late  in  the  fall,  as  at  the  end  of  August  their  notes  were  heard  as  fre- 
-quently  as  ever,  and  I  have  a  female  taken  by  H.  Kimball  on  September 
29,  1895.  An  adult  male  secured  on  August  29,  1902,  had  not  yet  quite 
-completed  its  moult. 

Phalaenoptilus  nuttalli  (Audubon).     Poor-will. 

I  found  the  Poor-will  quite  abundant  during  the  summer  months  in 
the  foothill  region  and  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  canyons;  but  though 
most  numerous  below  5000  feet  they  were  by  no  means  restricted  to  these 
parts,  for  I  saw  or  heard  some  in  all  parts  of  the  mountains  occasionally 
up  to  an  altitude  of  nearly  10,000  feet.  They  began  to  arrive  early  in 
April  and  could  soon  be  heard  calling  on  all  sides  of  an  evening.  Al- 
though usually  silent  during  the  night,  I  have  frequently  noticed  that 
in  the  morning  they  begin  again,  and  for  half  an  hour  or  so  before  day- 
light, call  nearly  as  much  as  they  do  in  the  evening.  They  show  great 
fondness  for  any  open  piece  of  ground,  and  about  dusk  can  usually  be 
found  along  any  road  or  trail,  sitting  on  the  ground  and  occasionally 
flying  up  after  some  passing  insect.  I  cannot  reciU  ever  having  seen  a 
Poor-will  alight  on  the  limb  of  a  tree,  but  on  one  occasion  I  saw  one 
alight  on  a  guy  rope  of  a  tent,  where  he  remained  for  half  a  minute  or  so. 

I  have  taken  several  specimens  of  the  so-called  Frosted  Poor-will 
(P.  n.  nitidus)  but  have  not  much  faith  in  the  validity  of  this  race,  be- 
lieving it  to  be  merely  a  color  phase  of  nuttalli.  My  series  of  Poor-wills 
from  Arizona  contains  some  very  pale  colored  birds  which  could  easily 
enough  be  distinguished  from  true  nuttalli  as.  far  as  color  is  concerned, 
but  it  seems  strange  to  find  two  closely  related  sub-species  like  these 
occupying  the  same  region  and  breeding  side  by  side,  as  it  were.  I  have 
taken  both  the  pale  and  the  dark  colored  birds  in  the  foothills  of  the 
Huachucas,  and  at  the  summit  of  the  highest  peaks,  both  being  more 
numerous  during  the  migrations  than  at  other  times.  If  several  pairs  of 
birds  could  be  obtained  and  shown  to  be  of  the  same  style  of  coloration, 
it  might  go  to  prove  the  validity  of  the  race ;  but  it  is  not  easy  to  obtain 
both  birds  of  a  pair  of  a  nocturnal  species  like  the  one  under  considera- 
tion, and  though  I  secured  both  sexes,  they  were  all  single  birds,  mostly 
migrants.  I  have  recently  secured  two  exceedingly  pale  colored  Poor- 
wills  near  San  Fernando,  Los  Angeles  County,  California,  demonstrating 
the  presence  of  this  light  phase  in  F.  n.  calif ornicus  as  well  as  in  nuttalli. 
One  of  these  is  quite  as  pale  as  any  specimen  of  "nitidus"  that  I  secured 
in  Arizona. 

I  have  talked  on  this  subject  with  Mr.  G.  F.  Breninger,  who  has 
-done  a  great  deal  of  field  work  in  Arizona,  and  believe  that  he  holds  the 
same  view  of  it  as  I  do. 

Chordeiles  virginianus  henryi  (Cassin).     Western  Nighthawk. 

Quite  a  common  summer  resident,  though  as  yet  I  believe  that  there 
is  no  positive  evidence  of  its  breeding  in  the  Huachucas.  The  earliest 
date  at  which  I  have  seen  any  is  April  23,  1903,  when  a  male  bird  was 
flushed  from  an  oak  tree  near  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  canyons.  At  times 
in  the  summer  I  have  found  them  quite  abundant  in  the  oaks  along  the 
base  of  the  hills  (about  4500  feet  altitude).  They  were  invariably  in  the 
trees,  sitting  lengthwise  of  the  limbs;  and  were  very  shy  and"  hard  to 
approach,  at  times  flying  to  a  considerable  distance  before  alighting 
again.  I  never  flushed  one  from  the  ground.  Through  the  months  of 
June  and  July,- 1902,  I  found  them  very  abundant  on  the  divide  at  the 


l6  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.   4 

head  of  Miller  Canyon,  about  9000  feet  altitude.  They  made  their  ap- 
pearance soon  after  sunset  and  remained  for  an  hour  or  so,  hawking  back 
and  forth,  usually  within  a  few  feet  of  the  ground,  sometimes  thirty  of 
forty  being  in  sight  at  once ;  but  they  were  difficult  to  '^hoot,  as  the  light 
was  poor  and  they  seldom  rose  so  as  to  be  seen  against  the  sky.  A  num- 
ber a  male  birds  were  taken,  but  of  females  I  secured  but  a  single  speci- 
men. This  was  taken  on  June  23,  1902,  and  most  undoubtedly  was  not 
a  breeding  bird.  In  the  daytime,  while  shooting  warblers  and  other 
small  birds  in  the  pines,  several  night  hawks  were  flushed  from  limbs 
high  up  in  the  trees.  I  presume  that  in  all  probability  they  breed  in  the 
Huachucas,  but  I  know  of  no  one  who  has  found  any  eggs  in  this  re- 
gion. The  Texan  Nighthawk  I  have  never  seen  in  the  Huachuca  Moun- 
tains, though  along  the  San  Pedro  River  it  is  a  most  abundant  summer 
resident. 

Chaetura  vauxi  (Townsend),     Vaux  Swift. 

From  the  tenth  to  the  fifteenth  of  May  (1902)  I  several  times  saw 
a  few  Vaux  Swifts  flying  about,  usually  late  in  the  afternoon.  They 
seem  to  be  of  rare  occurrence  in  this  region,  as  this  is  the  only  occasion 
on  which  I  have  seen  any. 

Aeronautes  melanoleucus  (Baird).     White-throated  Swift. 

The  numerous  high  rocky  clififs  found  throughout  the  mountains 
afiford  an  abundance  of  nesting  sites  for  these  swifts ;  so  that,  as  a  rule, 
they  are  exceedingly  abundant  during  the  summer  months,  their  shrill 
twittering  notes  being  heard  on  all  sides ;  and  I  believe  that  a  few  stay 
through  the  winter  as  well,  as  on  February  2.6,  1903,  I  saw  a  small  flock 
flying  about  during  a  snow  storm.  Altitude  seems  to  cut  but  little  figure 
with  them,  as  I  have  seen  them  entering  crevices  in  the  rocks  in  all  parts 
of  the  mountains,  and  they  probably  breed  wherever  the  nature  of  the 
ground  suits  them.  In  feeding,  however,  they  seem  to  congregate,  in  a 
measure,  over  the  highest  parts  of  the  mountains,  where  I  have  seen 
them  in  greater  numbers  than  in  any  other  one  place;  passing  from  one 
side  of  the  mountains  to  the  other,  and  occasionally  skimming  over  the 
ridge  but  a  few  feet  from  the  ground,  screaming  and  twittering  almost 
continuously.  Occasionally  during  July  and  August,  the  rainy  season,  I 
have  been  on  the  divide  when  black  threatening  thunder  clouds  were 
passing  low  over  the  mountains,  and  the  flocks  of  swifts,  flying  beneath 
these  heavy  clouds  produced  by  their  wings  a  most  peculiar  sound;  a 
continuous  murmur,  now  loud  and  now  low.  utterly  indiscribable,  but 
much  like  a  crowd  of  people  shouting  in  the  distance.  I  heard  the  noise 
for  half  an  hour  or  more  one  day  before  I  was  able  to  place  it,  for  the 
birds  were  flying  high,  and  were  utterly  silent  as  far  as  their  vocal  organs 
were  concerned;  being  probably  too  busy  feeding  to  indulge  in  their 
usual  fights  and  squabbles,  which  are  always  accompanied  by  consider- 
able noise.  A  nest  of  this  species  was,  with  the  greatest  difficulty, 
reached  and  examined  by  O.  W.  Howard  and  W.  B.  Judson  on  June  9, 
1896.  The  nest  was  in  a  crevice  in  a  high  over-hanging  cliff,  and  at  this 
date  a  single  egg  was  found  lying  on  the  rock  outside  the  nest.  On  June 
18  three  eggs  were  taken  from  this  nest.  Aside  from  the  difficulty  iiid 
great  danger  usually  attendant  on  approaching  the  nests  of  these  birds, 
it  is  generally  labor  thrown  away,  as  the  crevices  in  which  they  breed 
often  run  far  back  in  the  rock,  and  the  eggs  are  as  much  out  of  reach 
when  the  opening  is  reached  as  before. 


April  1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA  I7 

Eugenes  fulgens  (Swainson).     Rivoli  Hummingbird. 

On  the  first  day  I  spent  in  the  Huachucas,  April  26,  1896,  almost 
the  first  bird  I  saw  on  leaving  camp  in  the  morning,  was  a  male  Rivoli 
Humming  bird,  two  of  them  in  fact;  and  the  size  and  beauty  of  the  bird 
made  an  impression  on  me  at  the  time  that  even  considerable  familiarity 
with  the  species  has  not  effaced ;  as  it  is  without  question,  the  hand- 
somest of  the  North  American  Hummingbirds.  The  date  given  above 
is  the  earliest  at  which  I  have  seen  it  in  the  mountains,  and  the  birds 
become  more  and  more  abundant  as  the  summer  advances.  As  is  the 
case  with  the  rest  of  the  hummingbirds  the  male  fulgens  is  never  seen 
near  the  nest,  but  remains  almost  entirely  in  the  higher  pine  forests,  and 
in  my  experience,  only  a  stray  bird  is  occasionally  seen  in  the  lower 
canyons.  The  breeding  females  are  found  principally  along  the  water 
courses  between  5500  feet  and  7500  feet;  the  nest  being  frequently  built 
in  the  maples  along  the  streams,  sometimes  at  a  considerable  height, 
forty  or  fifty  feet  above  ground.  On  May  18,  1896,  an  unfinished  nest 
was  found,  while  on  May  26,  of  the  same  year,  two  sets  of  eggs  were 
taken ;  Mr.  Howard  has  recorded  the  taking  of  a  set  as  late  as  July  25, 
T899,  (Condor  Vol.  H,  1900,  page  loi)  ;  and  on  August  3,  1902,  I  saw  a 
female  on  a  nest,  but  did  not  disturb  her  as  it  was  in  rather  too  inac- 
cessible a  position.  Toward  the  end  of  summer  I  have  occasionally 
seen  females  down  quite  to  the  base  of  the  mountains,  but  not  often. 
A  favorite  resort  of  the  Rivolis,  in  fact  of  most  of  the  hummingbirds  in 
this  region,  are  the  flowering  stalks  of  the  mescal  plant,  which  grows 
in  profusion  all  over  the  mountains ;  in  1902,  I  saw  but  one  or  two  male 
fulgens  befoi-e  the  mescals  were  in  bloom,  which  was  quite  late,  nearlv 
the  end  of  July,  that  year.  In  the  spring  of  1903  hummingbirds  of  all 
species  were  scarce  in  the  mountains,  though  there  was  an  abundance  of 
wild  flowers,  more  so  than  usual ;  I  saw  a  few  female  fulgens  along  the 
canyon  streams,  but  up  to  the  time  I  left,  the  end  of  May,  I  had  not  seen 
a  single  male. 

Coeligena  clemenciae  Lesson.     Blue  throated  Hummingbird. 

A  summer  resident  in  the  mountains,  but  in  my  experience  not 
nearly  as  common  as  the  Rivoli.  The  two  species  are  sufficiently  alike 
to  be  confused  while  flying  about,  but  I  have  seen  but  two  or  three  that 
I  could  be  positive  belonged  to  this  species,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining 
but  a  single  bird.  This  one,  a  male,  was  taken  on  May  27,  1903,  while 
feeding  on  a  honeysuckle  in  a  garden ;  and  was  extremely  shy,  darting 
ofif  the  moment  it  caught  sight  of  me,  and  staying  away  for  a  consider- 
able length  of  time. 

Trochilus  alexandri  Bourcier  &  Mulsant.  Black-chinned  Hummingbird. 
A  very  abundant  summer  resident,  probably  the  most  common 
hummingbird  of  this  region.  I  have  occasionally  seen  the  male  bird  up 
to  an  altitude  of  7000  feet,  but  they  are  most  abundant  below  6000  feet, 
and  breed  from  that  altitude  down  to  the  base  of  the  mountains  and  as 
far  down  the  washes  as  there  is  any  vegetation.  The  earliest  date  on 
which  I  have  seen  this  species  was  April  26,  1902,  and  on  September  5, 
when  I  left  the  mountains,  they  were  still  abundant. 

Calypte  costae  (Bourcier).    Costa  Hummingbird. 

Costa  Hummingbird  begins  to  appear  in  the  mountains  about  the 
first  of  July,  and  some  years  becomes  exceedingly  abundant.  In  1896 
they  were  particularly  numerous,  but  nearly  all  immature  males  show- 


l8  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIT-AUNA.  [No.  4 

ing  just  a  trace  of  the  violet  coloration  on  the  throat.  Some  adult  males 
also  were  taken,  but  hardly  any  females ;  these  were  probably  still  attend- 
ing to  their  family  duties,  as  I  have  seen  nests  with  eggs  along  the  San 
Pedro  River  in  July.  They  breed  quite  commonly  all  along  this  valley, 
and  possibly  a  few  breed  in  the  mountains,  but  I  do  not  know  of  any 
nests  being  found  there.  They  do  not  ascend  to  any  great  height  in  the 
Huachucas  and  I  have  never  taken  one  above  5500  feet. 

Selasphorus  platycercus   (Swainson).     Broad-tailed  Hummingbird. 

Although  generally  distributed  over  the  mountains,  and  at  times 
quite  common,  this  hummingbird  is  still  far  more  often  heard  than  seen. 
The  shrill  buzz  of  its  wings,  that  is  of  the  male  bird,  is  frequently  heard  ; 
and  time  and  again  as  the  sound  approached,  passed,  and  died  away  in 
the  distance,  I  watched,  but  in  vain,  to  catch  sight  of  the  author  of  it. 
Several  times  I  have  seen  one  leave  his  perch  on  a  twig  and  dart  off  in 
pursuit  of  another  of  the  same  species,  and  even  then  was  unable  to  fol- 
low him  with  my  eye ;  and  though  presently  the  sound  of  wings  an- 
nounced his  return,  I  was  seldom  able  to  see  the  bird  before  he  dropped 
onto  his  perch.  It  is  possible  that  this  species  remains  in  the  Huachucas 
through  the  winter  as  I  saw  a  male  bird  near  the  base  of  the  mountains 
on  February  28,  1903;  and  though  not  at  all  common,  I  saw  and  heard 
them  a  number  of  times  through  the  month  of  March.  It  was  the  middle 
of  April  before  they  began  to  appear  in  any  numbers,  and  from  tjien  on 
they  became  more  and  more  abundant.  At  this  time  they  were  seen  at 
a  low  altitude  and  along  the  canyons ;  but  after  the  summer  rains  began 
and  the  grass  and  flowers  sprung  up,  I  found  them  mostly  in  the  highest 
parts  of  the  range.  At  this  time  they  were  not  nearly  as  restless  and 
pugnacious  as  in  the  spring  and  were  more  easily  approached.  I  have 
occasionally  shot  them  on  mescal  plants,  but  they  do  not  seem  to  feed 
on  them  nearly  as  much  as  some  of  the  other  hummingbirds  do.  The 
flight  of  the  female  is  not  accompanied  by  the  buzzing  noise  made  by  the 
male  bird,  and  from  their  habits  they  are  more  inconspicuous  and  less 
frequently  seen  than  their  mates.  They  breed  in  the  highest  parts  of 
the  mountains,  often  in  the  pines  and  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
ground. 
Selasphorus  rufus  (Gmelin).     Rufous  Hummingbird. 

I  have  not  seen  this  species  at  any  time  in  the  spring,  but  about  the 
middle  of  July  they  begin  to  make  their  appearance ;  and  throughout 
the  month  of  August  I  found  them  very  abundant,  but  frequenting  the 
highest  parts  of  the  mountains,  principally;  more  being  seen  between 
8000  and  9000  feet  than  elsewhere.  The  flowering  mescal  stalks  are  a 
great  attraction  to  them,  and  they  seem  to  frequent  them  in  preference 
to  anything  else.  I  have  seen  as  many  as  twenty  Rufous  Hummingbirds 
around  a  single  stalk,  mostly  immature  birds,  but  with  a  fair  sprinkling 
of  adult  males.  No  adult  females  were  taken  at  any  time.  The  old  males 
were,  as  usual,  very  pugnacious,  and  objected  to  any  other  hummingbird 
feeding  on  the  plant  they  were  patronizing ;  but  as  they  could  only  pur- 
sue one  at  a  time,  and  as  the  one  pursued  promptly  returned  as  soon  as 
the  chase  ended,  there  was  more  or  less  confusion  going  on  about  these 
plants  all  the  time.  Upon  finding  a  mescal  in  full  bloom  I  frequently 
watched  it  for  some  time  in  the  hope  of  securing  some  rarity,  but  in  the 
twittering,  whirling  mass  of  birds  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  distinguish 
the  species.  Occasionally  a  Rivoli  would  dart  in,  a  giant  among  pygmies 
and  easily  enough  distinguished,  but  for  the  rest  it  was  mostly  guess 
work. 


April   1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  I9 

Selasphorus  alleni  Henshaw.    Allen  Hummingbird. 

Among  a  number  of  specimens  of  Selasphorus  riifns  from  this  re- 
gion I  have  found  four  of  alloii.  These  are  an  adult  male  and  immature 
male  taken  July  13,  1896;  an  immature  male  taken  July  15,  1896,  and  an 
adult  male  taken  July  30,  1902.  The  last  mentioned  was  taken  from  a 
flock  of  nifus  at  an  altitude  of  9500  feet. 

Stellula  calliope  Gould.     Calliope  Hummingbird. 

After  the  summer  rains  the  mountains  present  an  exceedingly  invit- 
ing appearance,  particularly  so  in  the  higher  parts,  along  the  ridges  and 
on  various  pine  covered  "flats,"  w^here,  with  the  green  grass,  a  multitude 
of  brilliantly  colored  wild  flowers  springs  up,  often  waist  high,  and  in 
many  places  in  solid  banks  of  bright  colors.  In  such  places,  in  the  late 
summer  of  1902,  I  found  the  Calliope  Hummingbird  quite  abundant, 
feeding  close  to  the  ground,  and  when  alighting  usually  choosing  a  low 
bush.  I  did  not  see  any  around  the  mescals,  which  at  this  time  were 
past  their  prime,  and  aside  from  a  few  Rivolis  did  not  attract  many 
hummingbirds ;  nor  did  they  seem  very  gregarious,  a  single  bird,  or  at 
most  two  or  three,  being  all  that  were  seen  at  a  time.  The  first  one  was 
shot  August  14,  and  from  then  up  to  the  time  we  left  the  mountains, 
September  5,  they  remained  abundant  in  certain  localities ;  none  being 
seen  below  9000  feet. 

Atthis  morcomi  Ridgway.     Morcom  Hummingbird. 

Known  only  from  two  females  shot  by  H.  G.  Rising,  July  2,  1896. 
These  were  taken  in  Ramsey  Canyon,  not  together  but  not  far  distant 
from  one  another ;  and  at  an  altitude  of  about  7500  feet.  I  have  looked 
carefully  for  this  species  since  then,  but  have  seen  nothing  that  I  could 
ascribe  to  it,  tliough  possibly  when  calliope  was  so  abundant  there  might 
have  been  some  of  morcomi  with  them  without  my  noticing  them,  for 
the  females,  at  least,  of  the  two  species  are  very  much  alike. 

Basillina  leucotis  (Vieillot).    White-eared  Hummingbird. 

In  all  probability  the  White-eared  Hummingbird  is  a  regular  sum- 
mer visitant  to  the  Huachucas,  though  in  small  numbers.  A  female  was 
taken  by  W.  B.  Judson  on  July  7,  1896;  and  in  1902,  I  secured  a  male  on 
June  21  at  an  altitude  of  5500  feet,  and  another  August  14,  at  7000  feet. 
On  July  23  I  saw  still  another  at  the  same  place  where  the  last  men- 
tioned was  secured.  Mr.  O.  W.  Howard  tells  me  that  he  has  seen  them 
several  times  in  the  years  intervening  between  1896  and  1902,  and  on 
one  occasion  saw  a  female  carrying  building  material.  In  1903  I  left  the 
mountains  at  an  earlier  date  than  I  had  seen  the  species  in  the  region, 
but  a  few  weeks  later,  on  June  24,  I  was  in  company  with  Mr.  F.  Steph- 
ens when  he  secured  a  male  in-  the  Santa  Rita  Mountains,  some  forty 
miles  to  the  northwest  of  the  Huachucas,  at  an  altitude  of  5500  feet. 
T'his  one  is  not  an  adult  bird,  but  is  in  a  stage  corresponding  to  one 
often  met  with  in  the.  male  of  Calypte  cosfae,  probably  a  bird  of  the  pre- 
vious year.  In  this  bird  (No.  6301  F.  Stephens)  the  whole  of  the  upper 
parts  are  dull  green,  the  feathers  of  the  rump  being  narrowly  margined 
with  brown.  Forehead,  dull  brownish.  Under  parts  (breast  and  abdo- 
men) dull  white  spotted  with  green,  as  in  the  female.  Throat,  metallic 
emerald-green  with  a  few  grayish  feathers  intermixed,  and  with  but  the 
faintest  trace,  (one  or  two  scattered  feathers),  of  the  beautiful  sapphire- 
blue  chin  of  the  adult  male.  The  white  stripe  on  the  side  of  the  head 
is  about  the  same,  both  in  color  and  extent,  and  the  auriculars  are  not 
even  as  dark,  as  in  the  female.    The  lateral  rectrices  (as  is  the  case  in  the 


20  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

Opposite  sex)  are  broadly  tipped  with  white.  Bill,  black ;  base  of  mandi- 
ble flesh  color.  In  the  adult  male  the  base  of  the  bill  is  compressed, 
similarly  though  not  to  such  an  extent  as  in  lache  latirostris,  but  in  this 
specimen  it  is  quite  as  narrow  as  in  the  female.  All  the  specimens  se- 
cured were  feeding  on  a  scarlet  flower,  somewhat  similar  to  a  honey- 
suckle, but  growing  close  to  the  ground. 

lache  latirostris  (Swainson).     Broad-billed  Hummingbird. 

An  extremely  rare  bird  in  this  region.  A  male  was  secured  on  July 
21,  1902,  and  I  have  seen  a  female  taken  by  R.  D.  Lusk,  July  lo,  1897. 

Platypsaris  albiventris  (Lawrence).     Xantus  Becard. 

The  capture  of  a  male  bird  of  this  species  on  June  20,  1888,  has  been 
recorded  by  W.  W.  Price.  (Auk  Vol.  V.,  1888,  page  425)  Although 
Mr.  Price  mentions  hearing  the  notes  of  several  besides  the  one  secured, 
and  seemed  to  believe  that  the  species  would  prove  to  be  a  regular  sum- 
mer visitant  to  the  Huachuca  Mountains,  it  has  not  since  been  met  with 
by  any  collector  in  this  region,  and  is  probably  extremely  rare  and  ir- 
regular in  it's  occurrence  over  our  borders. 

Tyrannus  verticalis  Say.    Arkansas  Kingbird. 

The  Arkansas  Kingbird  is  found  most  abundantly  in  the  washes 
leading  from  the  various  canyons ;  and  breeds  in  large  numbers  as  far 
down  these  washes  as  the  trees  extend.  They  occasionally  venture  up 
into  the  mountains  but  not  often ;  and  while  breeding  the  nests  stop  so 
abruptly  at  the  mouths  of  the  canyons  that  I  am  uncertain  if  it  is  on  ac- 
count of  the  altitude,  or  because  they  prefer  the  open  country  below  to 
the  more  restricted  canyons.  They  are  late  late  in  getting  here  in  the 
spring;  considerably  later  than  in  Southern  California,  the  earliest  ar- 
rival noted  at  the  Huachucas  being  three  weeks  later  than  the  time  the 
species  reaches  Los  Angeles,  which  is  considerably  further  north.  In 
1902  the  first  seen  was  on  April  8,  and  it  was  a  week  later  before  they 
were  at  all  abundant.  The  following  year  the  first  seen  was  on  April  14, 
and  the  bulk  of  them  were  correspondingly  later  in  making  their  appear- 
ance. During  the  breeding  season  the  large  numbers  of  White-necked  Ra- 
vens and  Swainson  Hawks  found  in  the  vicinity  afford  the  Kingbirds  ex- 
ceptional opportunities  for  exhibiting  their  peculiar  talents,  and  during 
the  summer  months  these  wretched  birds'  lives  are  made  a  burden  to  them 
through  the  incessant  persecution  they  receive.  The  hawks  usually 
leave  as  soon  as  possible  on  being  attacked ;  but  the  ravens,  though 
beating  a  hasty  retreat  often  try  to  fight  back,  twisting  from  side  to 
side  in  vain  endeavor  to  reach  their  diminutive  assailant ;  cawing  a 
vigorous  protest,  meanwhile,  at  being  treated  in  such  a  disrespectful 
fashion.  On  September  5,  1902,  I  saw  a  large  number  of  Kingbirds, 
both  verticalis  and  vociferans,  sitting  along  the  fences  in  the  valleys  evi- 
dently migrating;  and  apparently  in  the  midst  of  their  moult,  as  they 
presented  a  very  ragged  appearance. 

Tyrannus  vociferans  Swainson.     Cassin  Kingbird. 

It  is  rather  a  singular  fact  that  although  this  species  winters 
abundantly  in  Southern  California,  in  this  region  it  arrives  in  the  spring 
at  the  same  time,  and  usually  in  company  with  verticalis  the  earliest 
being  on  April  8.  In  breeding  it  ascends  to  rather  a  higher  altitude  than 
that  species,  the  majority  of  the  nests  found  being  between  500O  and 
6000  feet ;  I  have  occasionally,  but  not  often  seen  the  birds  as  high  as 
7500  feet,  and  I  found  one  nest  quite  at  the  mouth  of  the  canyon,  4500 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  21 

feet;  but  as  a  rule,  the  territories  occupied  by  this  species  and  verticalis 
■during  the  breeding  season  hardly  overlap.  All  the  nests  of  this  species 
I  have  seen  in  this  region  were  built  in  sycamores,  usually  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  from  the  ground.  In  1896  a  set  was  secured  on  June 
20,  and  another  on  June  26.  They  probably  leave  in  the  early  fall,  for 
as  I  before  remarked,  I  have  seen  both  this  species  and  verticalis  evi- 
dently migrating  in  the  early  part  of  September. 

The  Cassin  Kingbirds  do  not  seem  to  persecute  the  hawks  and  other 
large  birds  to  ,such  an  extent  as  the  Arkansas  does,  but  they  are  far 
more  noisy ;  and  at  times,  particularly  in  the  early  morning,  make  a  fear- 
ful racket.  Commencing  shortly  before  daybreak,  they  keep  up  a  con- 
tinuous clamor,  generally  on  the  wooded  hillsides,  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  seems  like  an  army  of  birds  engaged.  They  do  not  seem  to  be  quar- 
reling or  fighting  at  these  times,  for  those  I  have  seen  merely  sat, 
screaming,  on  the  top  of  some  tall  tree.  This  racket  is  kept  up  until 
about  sunrise,  when  it  stops  rather  abruptly. 

Myiodynastes  luteiventris  Sclater.     Sulphur-bellied  Flycatcher. 

This  species,  though  a  handsome,  strikingly  marked  bird,  and  at 
times  an  exceedingly  noisy  one,  is  yet  so  shy  and  retiring,  that,  far  from 
being  conspicuous,  a  person  unfamiliar  with  the  habits  of  the  species 
might  collect  for  weeks  in  a  region  in  which  it  abounded  and  not  know 
that  there  were  any  around.  Frequenting  as  they  do,  the  tops  of  the 
tallest  trees  nlong  the  canyons,  which  are  thickly  covered  with  foliage 
at  the  time  these  birds  arrive,  a  far  brighter  colored  bird  might  easily 
escape  observation ;  and  as  their  colors,  though  striking,  blend  exceed- 
ingly well  with  the  surrounding  vegetation,  they  are  by  no  means  easy 
to  see ;  the  more  so  that  they  frequently  sit  perfectly  motionless  for  a 
considerable  length  of  time.  It  has  happened  more  than  once,  that, 
hearing  the  familiar  note  in  some  tree  top,  I  have  watched,  sometimes 
for  half  an  hour,  endeavoring  to  see  the  bird ;  scanning,  as  I  supposed, 
every  twig  on  the  tree,  only  to  see  it  finally  depart  from  some  limb  where 
it  had  been  sitting,  if  not  in  plain  sight,  at  any  rate  but  very  imper- 
fectly concealed.  The  call  note  is  loud  and  shrill,  and  there  are  times 
when  they  are  quite  noisy,  particularly  so  when  pairing  off.  At  this 
time  three  or  more  can  occasionally  be  seen  pursuing  one  another 
through  the  tree  tops  and  keeping  up  a  continuous  clamor.  Occasionally 
also,  I  have  heard  a  single  bird  calling  in  the  early  morning,  from  some 
tree  top,  as  the  Cassin  Kingbirds  do.  Though  noisy  their  vocabulary 
is  limited  and  I  have  never  heard  but  the  one  shrill  call  from  them,  a 
note  hard  to  describe  but  very  much  in  the  style  of  the  familiar  two- 
syllabled  whistle  of  the  Western  Flycatcher  {Empidonax  di-fficilis):  Of 
course  the  volume  is  infinitely  greater  than  with  the  little  Empidonax, 
but  they  resemble  each  other  to  this  extent,  that  I  have  known  a  person 
familiar  with  the  Sulphur-bellied.  Flycatcher  to  mistake  a  difficilis  near 
at  hand  for  the  larger  flycatcher  in  the  distance. 

They  are  late  in  reaching  their  breeding  grounds,  about  the  latest 
of  all  the  birds  of  this  region.  May  ig  being  the  earliest  date  at  which 
I  have  seen  any,  and  about  a  week  later  nearer  the  usual  time  for  the 
first  arrival.  The  nest  is  built  in  a  natural  cavity  in  a  tree,  invariably 
in  a  sycamore  as  far  as  known  ;  and  Mr.  O.  W.  Howard,  who  has  taken 
a  good  many  sets  Of  eggs.,  has  demonstrated  beyond  question  that  the 
same  cavity  is  used  year  after  year,  but  that  the  same  pair  of  birds  oc- 
cupies it  indefinitely  is,  I  think,  open  to  question.  I  have,  as  I  before 
remarked,  seen  two  or  more  males  contesting  for  a  female,  to  the  ac- 


2T  PACTFIC    COAST    AVrFAUNA.  [No    4; 

campani'ment  of  considerable  clamor,  and  those  I  have  seen  first  in  the 
summer  h^ve  invariably  been  single  birds.  Of  course  those  I  have  seen 
pairings  mig^ht  have  been  birds  hatched  the  preceeding^  year,  or  old  birds 
whose  mates  had  been  killed  ;  and  possibly  when  both  of  a  pair  survive 
they  repair  to  their  old  nest  of  the  previous  year.  On  July  10,  1902,  in 
company  with  Mr.  O.  W.  Howard  about  half  a  dozen  nests  of  this 
species  were  examined.  Although  In  each  instance  both  birds  were  seen 
about  the  cavity,  and  exhibited  considerable  excitement  at  the  invasion 
of  their  privacy,  no  eggs  were  found,  and  only  two  of  the  nests  showed 
signs  of  having  been  recently  constructed.  From  these  two  nests  Mr. 
Howard  secured  sets  later,  on  July  21.  On  August  30,  1902,  four 
juvenfles  were  secured,  two  hardly  able  to  fly  and  two  nearly  full  grown. 
The  latter,  in  markings  and  coloration,  are  practically  indistinguishable 
from  adults.  The  concealed  yellow  crest  of  the  old  bird  is  lacking,  the 
ff^athers  of  the  crown  merely  having  their  bases  pale  safifron,  not  sharply 
defined  and  hardly  apparent  at  a  casual  glance ;  and  in  the  very  young- 
birds  even  this  feature  is  almost  entirely  absent.  Also,  the  dark  medi-^n 
stripe  of  the  rectrices  is  more  narrow  than  in  the  adult;  aside  from  this 
the  only  point  of  difference  are  the  slightly  darker,  more  brownish  'Ap- 
pearance of  the  upper  parts :  and  the  softer,  more  blended,  appearance 
of  the  plumage,  as  is  usually  the  case  in  young  birds. 

This  species  does  not  occur  in  the  higher  parts  of  the  range,  nor  is 
it  found  in  the  foothills.  Preeminently  a  bird  of  the  heavily  wooded 
canyons,  it  is  seen  only  along  the  streams ;  and  all  I  have  seen  have  been 
between  5000  and  7500  feet,  altitude.  It  is  most  abundant  in  Tanner 
Canyon,  a  broad,  well  watered  canyon  with  a  far  more  gradual  ascent 
than  any  of  the  others.  It  is  on  this  account,  I  think  that  this  flycatcher 
occurs  in  it  so  much  more  abundantly  than  elsewhere,  for  besides  being 
the  longest  canyon  in  the  range,  the  head  of  it  is  at  the  lowest  point 
along  the  divide ;  thus  giving  the  greatest  area  at  the  altitude  favored  by 
this  species  of  any  canyon  in  the  mountains.  This  canyon  seems  to  be 
abundantly  suited  to  the  needs  of  this  flycatcher  for  almost  its  entire 
length,  and  I  have  seen  them  very  nearly  to  the  head  of  it. 

Myiarchus  cinerascens   (Lawrence).     Ash-throated  Flycatcher. 

A  common  summer  resident  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains, 
breeding  generally  throughout  the  foothill  region  and  along  the  canyons, 
and  down  the  washes  nearly  as  far  as  the  vegetation  extends.  It  arrives 
crly  in  April ;  in  1902  the  first  seen  was  on  April  13,  and  the  following 
ve^r  April  9;  while  on  the  latest  d^te  I  have  been  in  the  mountains,  Sep- 
tember 5,  ft  was  still  fairly  abundant. 

Myiarchus  cinerascens  nuttingi  (Ridgway).     Nutting  Flycatcher. 

Out  of  a  considerable  number  of  specimens  of  cinerascens  from  the 
Huachucas,  just  two  examples  of  nuttingi  were  found;  so  judging  from 
this  it  would  seem  to  be  of  rare  occurrence  in  this  region.  These  two,, 
both  females,  were  taken  June  17,  and  July  13,  1896,  and  were  evidently 
breeding  in  the  vicinity.  They  were  both  taken  ^t  rather  a  low  altitude, 
almost  at  the  base  of  the  mountains;  so  very  possibly,  though  rare  in 
the  Huachucas,  they  occur  more  abundantly  in  the  valleys  below. 

Myiarchus  la^wrencei  olivascens  Ridgway.     Olivaceous  Flycatcher. 

Though  during  the  summer  months  the  Olivaceous  Flycatcher  is 
'^ound  in  considerable  numbers  through  the  lower  parts  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  still  from  its  retiring  habits,  its  mournful,  long  drawn,  note  is 
heard  far  more  often  than  the  bird  itself  is  seen.     Seldom  venturing  into* 


April  1904]      BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  23 

•Open  ground,  it  loves  the  dense,  impenetrable  scrub  oak  thickets  of  the 
liillsides  better  than  any  other  place,  though  also  found  along  the  can- 
yon streams  wherever  the  trees  grow  thick  enough  to  prevent  the  sun 
from  penetrating.  It  seldom  ascends  the  mountains  to  any  great  height, 
7500  feet  being  about  the  upward  limit  of  the  species,  and  it  is  most 
abundant  below  6000  feet.  They  breed  down  quite  to  the  mouths  of  the 
canyons,  and  on  one  occasion  during  the  migration  I  secured  one  in  a 
wash  over  a  mile  from  the  mountains.  This,  however,  is  quite  except- 
ional. These  flycatchers  begin  to  arrive  early  in  April,  the  first  noted 
being  on  April  6,  but  it  is  a  week  or  ten  days  later  before  they  are  at  all 
abundant.  They  seem  to  disappear  during  the  breeding  season,  and 
though  really  very  abundant,  their  plaintive  note,  heard  occasionally 
from  some  dense  thicket  is  almost  the  only  evidence  that  the  birds  are 
■still  around.  Consequently  not  a  great  deal  is  known  of  their  breeding 
liabits.  All  the  nests  I  have  seen,  some  six  or  eight,  all  told,  were  built 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  ground,  from  twenty  to  fifty  feet. 
They  seem  to  breed  rather  late,  as  Mr.  Howard  secured  a  set  on  June 
17,  1902,  and  on  July  25  I  shot  a  young  bird  which  had  only  just  left  the 
nest.  They  begin  to  leave  as  soon  as  the  young  have  attained  their 
■growth,  being  about  the  first  of  the  summer  residents  to  move  south. 
Their  numbers  decrease  rapidly  after  the  end  of  July,  and  by  the  middle 
of  August  there  were  practically  none  left  in  the  mountains.  I  saw  no 
more,  and  supposed  that  they  had  all  left,  until  September  3,  when  I 
came  onto  a  pair  of  the  birds  feeding  several  young.  This  was  right  at 
a  place  where  Mr.  Howard  had  secured  a  set  of  eggs  earlier  in  the  sea- 
son, and  I  have  no  doubt  that,  as  neither  of  the  parent  birds  were  shot, 
they  reared  another  brood  and  were  correspondingly  delayed  in  leaving. 
Young  birds  collected,  of  various  ages,  differ  from  the  adults  in  having 
the  upper  parts  more  of  a  brownish  color,  and  the  lower  breast  and 
abdomen,  light  yellow  in  the  adult,  very  pale,  in  some  cases  almost 
white  with  just  the  faintest  tinge  of  yellow;  wing  coverts,  tertials  and 
secondaries  are  broadly,  and  primaries  narrowly  margined  with  rusty 
fulvous,  while  the  rectrices  are  broadly  margined  with  the  same. 

Sayornis  saya  (Bonaparte).    Say  Phoebe. 

Resident  in  the  foothill  region,  and  along  the  base  of  the  mountains 
generally,  though  in  limited  numbers.  During  the  migrations  they 
appear  rather  more  numerously,  but  never  venture  far  up  into  the  can- 
yons. A  favorite  nesting  site  is  a  well  or  some  similar  excavation,  or 
an  old  abandoned  adobe  house.  At  the  postoffice  at  Turner,  some  six 
■or  seven  miles  below  the  mountains,  a  pair  of  Say  Phoebes  has  built  a 
nest  over  the  doorway,  and  bred  there  for  many  successive  seasons ;  and 
not  only  do  they  breed  there  year  after  year,  but  the  same  individual 
pair  of  birds  seems  to  stay  there  the  year  through. 

Sayornis  nigricans  (Swainson).     Black  Phoebe. 

The  Black  Phoebe  occasionally  breeds  in  the  Huachucas  up  to  as 
high  an  altitude  as  6000  feet,  but  it  is  anything  but  a  common  bird  in 
this  region  and  does  not  remain  at  all  through  the  winter  .months.  The 
earliest  date  at  which  T  saw  any  was  March  15,  1903,  when  a  single  bird 
was  seen  ;  for  the  next  week  or  two  an  odd  bird  was  seen  now  and  then 
evidently  migrating,  and  after  that,  no  more  appeared.  About  the  first 
of  August  they  began  to  appear  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains, 
evidently  moving  up  from  the  river  valleys  where  they  breed  in  greater 
abundance.  At  this  time  they  were  just  commencing  the  autumnal  moult 


24  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

and  were  consequently  extremely  ragged  and  disreputable  in  appearance. 
T  did  not  secure  enough  specimens  to  admit  of  extended  comparison,  but 
the  few  I  have  are  absolutely  indistinguishable  from  Southern  Califor- 
nia birds. 

Nuttallornis  borealis  (SAvainson).     Olive-sided  Flycatcher, 

The  Olive-sided  Flycatcher  occurs  regularly  in  the  Huachucas 
during  the  migrations,  but  is  never  at  all  abundant ;  five  or  six  being 
about  as  many  as  I  have  seen  in  the  whole  course  of  a  migration.  It  is 
rather  a  late  arrival,  and  the  extreme  dates  at  which  I  have  noted  the 
species  are  from  April  20th  to  May  28th.  In  the  fall  the  first  and  only 
one  I  saw  was  on  August  30th.  Though  a  bird  of  the  highest  altitudes 
in  the  regions  in  which  it  breeds,  these  migrating  birds  never  seemed 
to  ascend  the  mountains  to  any  height,  none  being  seen  above  6000  feet. 

Contopus  pertinax  pallidiventris  Chapman.     Coues  Flycatcher. 

During  the  summer  months  this  flycatcher  is  one  of  the  character- 
istic birds  of  the  pine  regions  of  the  Huachucas,  where  if  not  seen,  it  can 
at  least  be  heard  almost  everywhere.  It  is  one  of  the  first  of  the  summer 
residents  to  arrive,  and  one  was  heard  calling  as  early  as  March  29th  The 
usual  time  of  arrival  is  the  first  week  in  April,  and  during  this  month 
they  can  be  found  generally  distributed  over  all  parts  of  the  mountains ; 
while  I  have  taken  specimens,  evidently  migrating  birds,  quite  at  the 
base  of  the  range,  as  latp  as  May  25th,  though  others  were  found  breed- 
ing at  an  earlier  date.  In  its  breeding,  in  fact  in  its  habits  in  general,  it 
closely  resembles  the  Olive-sided  Flycatcher,  but  I  have  never  found  it 
migrating  out  in  the  plains  and  valleys  as  that  species  quite  generally 
does.  As  with  borealis  the  male  bird  is  fond  of  getting  in  some  elevated 
position,  usually  the  extremity  of  a  dead  limb  at  the  top  of  some  tall 
pine  or  fir,  and  remaining  there  for  hours,  uttering  at  frequent  intervals 
its  loud,  characteristic  call.  In  character  and  tone  this  call  is  quite 
simibr  to  that  of  borealis,  but  the  rotes  differ.  The  local  name  for  the 
species,  derived  from  its  cry,  is  Jose  Maria  (pronounced,  Ho-say  Maria, 
with  the  second  syllable  of  the  last  word  drawn  out  and  emphasized), 
a  far  better  translation  of  the  sounds  that  is  the  case  in  many  similar 
instances. 

During  the  breeding  season  these  birds  are  to  a  great  extent  re- 
stricted to  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains,  being  most  abundant  from 
8000  to  10,000  feet ;  though  I  have  seen  one  or  two  nests  as  low  as  7000 
feet.  In  the  choice  of  a  nesting  place  they  show  a  marked  prefierence 
for  the  conifers,  the  nest  being  usually  built  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  ground,  on  some  limb  afifording  a  wide,  uninterrupted  outlook, 
but  there  again  no  hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  laid  down,  as  I  have  seen 
nests  built  in  maples  in  the  bottom  of  a  canyon,  not  twenty-five  feet 
above  the  ground,  and  nearly  hidden  by  the  luxuriant  foliage.  I  have 
seen  birds  beginning  to  build  in  the  middle  of  May,  and  eggs  can  be 
occasionally  be  found  until  at  least  the  middle  of  July.  On  July  23,  1902, 
I  secured  a  young  bird  which  had  just  left  the  nest  but  was  as  yet  hardly 
able  to  fly,  and  two  weeks  later  broods  of  young,  attended  by  the  parents 
could  be  seen  everywhere.  After  the  young  had  left  the  nest,  a  general 
movement  toward  a  lower  altitude  began,  and  by  the  middle  of  August 
young  and  old  could  be  found  quite  commonly  along  the  canyons,  and  in 
the  groves  of  live  oaks  at  the  mouths  of  the  same.  The  young  birds 
collected  difiter  from  the  adults  in  having  the  abdomen  and  lower  tail 
coverts  and  sometimes  the  center  of  the  throat  as  well,  bufTy  ochraceous. 


April  1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  25 

rather  sharply  defined  against  the  dark  colored  breast  and  sides.  The 
greater  and  middle  wing  coverts  are  edqfed  with  a  d-^rker  shade  of  the 
same,  so  as  to  form  two  conspicuous  bars  across  the  wing.  An  adult 
female  taken  August  24,  1902,  just  commencing  the  autumnal  moult, 
has  most  of  the  plumage  so  worn  and  faded  as  to  have  lost  all  distinc- 
tive coloring,  but  on  the  upper  breast  and  on  the  dorsum  the  new 
feathers  are  just  beginning  to  appear. 

Contopus  richardsoni   (Swainson).     Western  Wood  Pewee. 

During  the  summer  months  this  species  is  found  in  abundance  in 
the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains,  occurring  almost  entirely,  at  least  in  the 
breeding  season,  along  the  canyon  streams,  and  but  seldom  venturing 
up  on  the  hill  sides.  It  is  a  late  arrival  in  this  region,  the  earliest  one 
noted  being  on  May  4,  1903,  and  it  is  the  middle  of  the  month  before 
they  are  at  all  abundant.  Migrating  birds  were  seen  on  the  plains  be- 
low the  mountains  up  to  nearly  the  end  of  May.  Old  birds  were  noted 
feeding  young  still  in  the  nest  after  the  middle  of  August. 

Empidonax  difficilis  Baird.    Western  Flycatcher. 

Although  the  Western  Flycatcher  breeds  in  the  Huachucas  it  is 
anything  but  a  common  bird,  and  even  during  the  migrations  is  not  as 
abundant  as  some  of  the  other  species  of  Emipidonax.  It  is  a  late  arival 
in  this  region,  the  earliest  one  noted  being  a  male  bird  shot  on  May  18. 
Up  to  the  first  of  June  it  can  be  found  in  limited  numbers  in  the  washes 
leading  from  the  various  canyons,  not  occurring  at  all  in  the  higher  parts 
of  the  mountains,  from  7000  feet  upward,  where  it  breeds.  On  June  21, 
1902,  a  nest  was  found,  apparently  just  finished,  but  empty,  built  on  a 
beam  in  an  old  cabin  at  an  altitude  of  9000  feet.  The  bird  had  been  seen 
about  the  place  a  week  earlier  but  at  that  time  had  not  yet  commenced 
to  build.  After  examining  the  nest  I  left  the  cabin  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  at  my  return  the  bird  darted  out  over  my  head,  having  laid  an  egg 
during  my  brief  absence.  On  visiting  the  place  a  few  days  later  I  found 
the  nest  torn  apart  and  the  eggs  destroyed,  probably  by  the  rats  which 
infested  the  place.  After  the  breeding  season  they  descend  the  moun- 
tains to  a  lower  altitude,  and  after  the  first  of  August  young  and  old  are 
fairly  abundant  in  the  oaks  of  the  foothills,  and  along  the  washes  as  in 
the  spring. 

Empidonax  trailli  (Audubon).    Traill  Flycatcher. 

On  August  9,  1902,  I  secured  two  Traill  Flycatchers  in  some  scrub 
oaks  at  the  base  of  the  mountains.  This  is  the  only  record  I  have  of  the 
occurrence  of  this  species  in  the  Huachucas,  though  it  is  a  fairly  com- 
mon summer  resident  in  suitable  spots  along  the  San  Pedro  River.  The 
two  secured,  both  adult  males,  had  not  yet  begun  to  moult  their  summer 
plumage,  and  compared  with  specimens  from  Southern  California  are 
very  pale  in  coloration.  There  is  hardly  a  trace  of  olivaceous  on  the 
back  or  yellow  in  the  abdomen,  and  at  a  casual  glance,  they  bear  a  close 
resemblance  to  B.  griseus,  for  which  species,  in  fact,  I  mistook  them 
when  I  shot  them. 

Empidonax  hammondi  (Xantus).     Hammond  Flycatcher. 

Of  the  migrating  birds  passing  through  this  region  in  the  spring 
the  Hammond  Flycatcher  is  one  of  the  first  to  put  in  an  appearance,  and 
about  the  last  to  leave.  The  earliest  noted,  a  male,  was  taken  on  March 
30 ;  the  bulk  of  them  arrive  early  in  April,  and  they  remain  in  the  great- 
est abundance  until  the  middle  of  May,  when  they  begin  to  rapidly 


26  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.         *  [No.  4 

diminish  in  numbers,  the  last  being  seen  May  22.  In  the  spring  I  found 
them  in  all  parts  of  the  mountains,  but  most  abundantly  below  6000 
feet,  and  usually  along  the  canyons,  not  far  from  water.  I  was  rather 
surprised  when  they  re-appeared  in  August,  not  in  the  foothills  and  along 
the  canyons,  as  before,  but  up  in  the  pines,  none  being  seen  below  9000 
feet.  The  first  was  seen  on  August  26,  and  from  that  time  on,  though 
not  at  all  abundant,  I  found  them  in  small  numbers  scattered  through 
the  pines  along  the  divide. 

Specimens  of  hammondi  collected  vary  from  very  dark  colored  birds 
at  the  one  extreme,  with  the  abdomen  strongly  tinged  with  yellow,  and 
in  some  cases  with  the  breast,  throat  and  even  the  back,  strongly  suffused 
with  the  same  yellowish  hue;  to  very  grayish  colored  ones  at  the  other, 
with  the  yellow  of  the  abdomen  almost,  and  elsewhere  entirely,  ob- 
literated. 

Empidonax  wrighti  Baird.    Wright  Flycatcher. 

A  fairly  common  migrant  but  a  shy  unobtrusive  bird,  and  conse- 
quently easily  overlooked.  On  my  first  visit  to  the  mountains,  in  1896, 
I  failed  to  find  the  species  at  all ;  and  the  next  time,  in  1902,  I  mistook 
the  birds  for  hammondi,  which  they  closelv  resemble,  until  the  different 
note  (exactly  the  same  in  ■iviif^hfi  as  in  griscus,  with  which  I  was  fami- 
liar) betrayed  them.  They  arrive  about  the  middle  of  April ;  in  1902  I 
shot  one  in  the  lowlands  near  the  San  Pedro  River  on  April  17,  but  saw 
none  in  the  Huachucas  until  April  25,  after  which  they  were  quite 
abundant.  In  1903  I  secured  the  first  on  April  14  and  the  last,  May  18. 
They  were  most  abundant  below  5000  feet,  particularly  favoring  the  foot- 
hill region  covered  with  scrub  oak,  madrona,  and  manzanita  bushes.  I 
also  found  them  where  the  canyons  opened  out  into  the  plains  below, 
but  they  were  not  entirely  restricted  to  the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains, 
for  on  one  occasion,  May  i,  1903,  I  secured  two  and  saw  several  others 
in  the  pines  on  the  divide,  about  9000  feet,  altitude.  Wherever  I  found 
them,  though,  they  were  equally  shy  and  difficult  to  get  a  shot  at,  and 
when  in  the  thick  brush,  which  they  particularly  love  to  frequent,  their 
low,  lisping  note  was  heard  far  more  often  than  the  birds  themselves 
were  seen. 

Empidonax  griseus  Brewster.     Gray  Flycatcher. 

I  found  this  species  to  be  a  common  migrant  in  the  Huachucas, 
more  abundant  than  its  near  relative  ^vrighti,  and  generally  frequenting 
ground  of  a  different  character.  Some  specimens  were  taken  along  the 
various  washes,  but  the  region  where  they  were  most  abundant  was  in 
the  most  barren  of  the  foothill  country;  rough  boulder  strewn  hills  with 
but  a  scattering  growth  of  scrubby  live  oaks.  In  such  places  I  found 
them  fairly  abundant,  that  is  I  have  seen  as  many  as  twelve  or  fifteen  in 
the  course  of  a  morning's  collecting;  but  they  never  ventured  above  the 
very  entrance  of  the  canyons,  nor  ascended  the  mountains  at  all.  Though 
this  flycatcher  probably  winters  in  some  parts  of  Arizona  (I  have  speci- 
mens taken  at  Tucson  during  February  and  March),  and  might  be  ex- 
pected to  breed  in  this  region,  it  nevertheless  occurs  in  the  Huachucas 
merely  as  a  migrant;  though  from  the  early  date  at  which  it  reappears 
in  the  fall,  it  probably  breeds  at  no  great  distance  to  the  northward. 
The  earliest  noted  was  on  April  2 ;  they  were  most  abundant  about  the 
first  of  May;  and  by  the  middle  of  May  had  all  passed  on.  They  ap- 
peared again  the  first  week  in  August ;  one  was  secured  August  6,  1902, 
and  soon  after  they  were  fairly  abundant  in  the  same  localities  as  in  the 


April   1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  27 

spring,  remaining  so  throughout  the  month.  All  that  were  taken  at  this 
time  were  adults  in  worn,  abraded  plumage,  many  of  them  in  the  midst 
of  the  autumnal  moult  with  hardly  enough  feathers  to  cover  them.  A 
series  of  twenty-one  Gray  Flycatchers  taken  in  the  spring  from  Febru- 
ary to  the  middle  of  May,  show  some  little  variation  in  color  and  plu- 
mage, enough  so  to  indicate  a  slight  pre-nuptual  moult.  ^Specimens 
taken  during  February  and  the  early  part  of  March  are  in  fresh,  unworn 
plumage,  soft  and  blended  in  appearance  and  with  a  considerable  oliva- 
ceous on  the  dorsum.  Those  secured  at  the  end  of  March  and  through- 
out April  have  the  feathers  rather  worn  and  abraded,  the  upper  parts 
dull  grayish  with  a  few  new  olivaceous  feathers  showing  on  the  back. 
Specimens  taken  in  May  present  a  bright,  fresh  appearance,  with  the 
upper  parts  olivaceous  with  but  a  few  of  the  old  gray  feathers  remaining, 
and  with  considerable  yellow  on  the  abdomen.  There  is  considerable 
individual  variation  also,  the  extremes  of  which  are  presented  in  my 
collection  by  a  male  bird  taken  April  2,  1902,  which  has  the  breast,  sides, 
and  fllanks  dark  plumbeous,  the  throat  a  trifle  paler,  and  but  the  middle 
of  the  abdomen  white,  with  just  a  tinge  of  yellow;  and  a  female  taken 
April  22,  1896,  in  which  nearly  the  whole  of  the  under  parts  are  pure 
white,  the  breast  being  darker  on  the  sides  and  presenting  rather  a 
streaked  appearance  along  the  median  line. 

From  the  middle  of  April  to  the  middle  of  May  these  three  Empidon- 
aces,  hammondi,  lirighti  and  griseus,  taken  together,  are  a  feature  of  the 
avian  landscape  in  all  parts  of  the  mountains ;  hammondi  along  the  cati- 
yons  and  in  the  pines,  zvrighti  in  the  oak  belt,  and  grisciis  in  the  more 
barren  country  along  the  base  of  the  range ;  and  during  this  time  there 
is  hardly  a  place  where  one  or  more  of  some  one  of  these  small  fly- 
catchers can  not  be  seen,  darting  from  tree  or  bush  after  some  passing 
insect,  or  sitting  on  a  twig  with  drooping  wings  and  twitching  tail. 

Empidonax  fulvifrons  pygmaeus  (Coues).     Buff -breasted  Flycatcher. 

The  BuiT-breasted  Flycatcher  is  one  of  the  rarest  of  the  regular 
summer  visitants  to  these  mountains,  and  as  it  is  a  small,  inconspicu- 
ously colored  bird,  and  in  my  experience  rather  shy  and  difBcult  to  ap- 
proach as  well,  it  is  a  species  that  is  most  easily  overlooked.  It  arrives 
in  the  Huachucas  about  the  middle  of  April,  and  all  the  migrating  birds 
I  have  taken  have  been  alonjr  the  base  of  the  mountains,  where  they  were 
usually  sitting  in  low  bushes  or  weeds.  In  1902,  I  secured  but  two,  both 
males,  during  the  spring  migration ;  one  on  the  evening  of  April  20,  and 
another  early  the  next  morning  at  precisely  the  some  place.  In  1903  I 
secured  a  female  on  the  west  side  of  the  mountains  on  April  12,  and  a 
migrating  bird  was  shot  as  late  as  May  4. 

Specimens  collected  show  considerable  variation  in  the  color  of  the 
lower  parts,  irrespective  of  sex.  The  darkest  colored  one  I  have,  a 
female,  has  the  breast  deep  ochraceous  buff,  with  the  throat  and  abdo- 
men but  little  paler;  while  a  rather  large  sized  male  in  fresh  unworn 
plumage,  has  the  upper  breast  yellowish  buff,  fading  to  pale  yellowish 
on  the  throat  and  abdomen,  almost  white  along  the  median  line.  Speci- 
mens taken  during  April  frequently  have  a  few  new  feathers  scattered 
over  the  back,  indicating  at  least  a  partial  pre-nuptial  renewal  of  the 
plumage  of  these  parts.  The  buff  of  the  lower  parts  extends  up  on  the 
sides  of  the  neck  so  that  in  many  skins  it  nearly  joins  on  the  nape. 

On  May  26,  1903,  I  found  these  flycatchers  breeding  near  the  head 
of  Tanner  Canyon  in  siich  a  way  as  to  almost  indicate  a  "colonizing" 
tendency,  for  I  found  seven  or  eight  pair  breeding  within  a  radius  of 


28  PACIFIC   COAST    AVIFAUNA.  fNo.  4 

about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  three  or  four  of  these  were  within  a  hun- 
dred yards  of  each  other.  This  may  have  been  due,  however,  to  the 
exceptionally  favorable  nature  of  the  ground ;  for  it  was  different  from 
most  of  the  region  thereabout  in  that  the  canyon  opened  out  into  a  con- 
siderable area  of  low,  rolling  hills,  covered  with  a  scattering  growth  of 
large  pines.  Most  of  the  birds  seemed  to  be  building,  and  two  nests 
were  located,  nearly  completed ;  one  of  them  being  saddled  on  a  large 
pine  limb,  in  plain  sight  and  not  over  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  As 
rather  exhaustive  accounts  of  the  breeding  of  the  species  in  this  region 
have  already  been  published  (Condor  Vol.  I,  1899,  103;  Vol.  Ill,  1901, 
38)  there  is  no  need  of  dwelling  further  upon  it  here. 

Pyrocephalus  rubineus  mexicanus  (Sclater).     Vermilion  Flycatcher. 

Though  seldom  entering  into  the  canyons,  never  above  the  mouths 
of  them,  the  Vermilion  Flycatcher  is  quite  a  common  summer  resident 
all  along  the  base  of  the  Huachucas,  breeding  principally  along  the  vari- 
ous washes  descending  therefrom.  The  earliest  arrival  noted  was  on 
March  25 ;  others  were  seen  during  the  first  week  in  April,  but  the  bulk 
of  them  did  not  arrive  before  the  middle  of  the  month.  The  male  birds 
vary  considerably  in  coloration,  and  probably  take  at  least  two  years  in 
attaining  the  perfect  plumage.  Several  were  taken  at  Tucson  about  the 
middle  of  March,  probably  birds  of  the  previous  year,  just  finishing  the 
prenuptial  moult.  They  are  evidently  just  acquiring  the  globular  red 
crest  of  the  adult,  for  they  still  have  grayish  feathers  scattered  over  the 
crown,  and  most  of  the  red  ones  have  not  yet  attained  half  their  growth  ; 
while  the  red  of  the  lower  parts  is  paler  than  in  the  adult  male,  irregu- 
larly blotched  with  whitish,  and  with  dusky  streaks  on  the  breast.  A 
breeding  male  tpken  near  Fort  Huachuca  has  many  of  the  feathers  of 
the  crown  tipped  with  dusky,  and  the  red  of  the  under  parts  blotched 
with  white  on  the  throat  and  abdomen.  A  male  shot  on  August  9,  was 
in  the  midst  of  the  autumnal  moult.  Females  differ  principally  in  the 
amount  and  shade  of  the  red  of  the  abdomen  and  flanks,  but  one  in  my 
possession  has  a  few  salmon  colored  feathers,  tipped  with  dusky,  on  the 
crown,  and  a  few  of  the  same  color  scattered  over  the  breast.  During 
August,  families  of  young  with  the  parents  in  attendance,  were  fre- 
quently seen,  and  at  this  time  I  found  them  more  shy  and  difficult  to 
approach  than  at  any  other.  The  males  are,  in  my  experience,  singularly 
tame  and  unsuspicious  for  such  bright,  gaudy  plumaged  birds. 

Otocoris  alpestris  adusta  Dwight.     Scorched  Horned  Lark. 

A  common  summer  resident,  breeding  everywhere  on  the  plains 
below  the  Huachucas,  right  up  to  the  base  of  the  mountains.  They  ar- 
rive early,  for  on  February  17,  1903,  while  driving  from  the  train  to  the 
mountains,  I  saw  a  flock  of  about  a  dozen,  and  a  few  single  birds ;  but  it 
was  nearly  a  month  later  before  they  were  at  all  abundant.  I  saw  young 
birds  flying  about  the  prairie  by  the  middle  of  May  and  they  became 
more  and  more  abundant  as  the  summer  advanced.  Toward  the  end  of 
July  and  early  in  August,  young  and  old  gathered  together  in  immense 
flocks,  and  were  at  this  time  very  restless  and  difficult  to  approach,  flying 
a  long  distance  when  disturbed.  They  seemed  to  depart  for  the  south 
soon  after,  for  on  September  5,  1902,  on  a  drive  of  over  twenty  miles 
over  country  in  which  they  had  bred  in  the  greatest  abundance,  not  a 
single  Horned  Lark  was  seen. 

Horned  Larks  from  this  region  are  very  uniform  in  coloration,  the 
greatest  variation  being  in   the   intensity   of  the  yellow  of  the  throat. 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA  ^9 

This  is  the  only  race  of  the  Horned  Lark  that  I  have  found  here,  though 
I  have  specimens  taken  from  February  to  July,  and  some  of  the  other 
sub-species  might  be  expected  to  occur  as  migrants. 

Cyanocitta  stelleri  diademata  (Bonaparte).     Long-crested  Jay. 

A  common  resident  in  the  Huachucas,  ascending  to  the  pine  forests 
of  the  higher  altitudes  during  the  breeding  season,  but  generally  dis- 
tributed over  the  mountains  for  the  rest  of  the  year.  Up  to  the  middle 
of  April  they  were  most  abundant  in  the  oak  regions  and  along  the  can- 
yons from  5000  to  7000  feet,  usually  in  flocks  of  a  dozen  or  more ;  but 
after  that  time  they  gradually  withdrew  to  the  higher  parts  of  the  moun- 
tains to  attend  to  their  domestic  duties.  During  the  breeding  season, 
up  to  the  beginning  of  July,  they  were  as  quiet  and  inconspicuous  as  it 
is  in  the  nature  of  a  jay  to  be,  but  after  the  young  left  the  nest  they  began 
to  move  down  to  a  lower  altitude,  as  noisy  and  as  much  of  a  nuisance  as 
ever.  They  did  not  seem  to  be  as  gregarious  at  this  time  as  in  the  early 
spring,  for  after  the  young  had  attained  their  growth  the  families  seemed 
to  break  up,  and  each  one  to  shift  for  himself  to  a  great  extent. 

A  young  male  just  from  the  nest,  and  with  the  rectrices  not  yet  half 
their  length,  has  both  the  upper  and  lower  parts,  a  uniform  dark  slate 
color,  rather  darker  on  the  crest  and  paler  on  the  rump  and  abdomen. 
There  is  some  whitish  on  the  chin,  an  indistinct  whitish  line  over  the 
eye,  and  the  faintest  suggestion  of  bluish  white  markings  on  the  fore- 
head. A  juvenile  female  is  essentially  the  same  in  coloration  but  lacks 
the  whitish  markings  about  the  head.  A  yovmg  male,  taken  August  13, 
is  beginning  to  lose  the  juvenile  plumage,  having  patches  of  blue  feathers 
on  the  sides  and  upper  parts  of  the  breast,  the  rump  and  lower  tail  co- 
verts. Soon  after  the  young  leave  the  nest  the  adults  begin  to  moult ; 
specimens  taken  the  middle  of  July  being  in  a  very  worn  state  of  plu- 
mage, with  the  webs  of  the  tertials  abraded  so  as  to  show  hardly  a  trace 
of  the  transverse  markings ;  but  as  yet  hardly  beginning  to  shed  their 
feathers.  An  adult  male  taken  August  15  has  almost  entirely  renewed 
the  rectrices  and  remiges  as  well  as  the  plumage  of  the  lower  breast  and 
abdomen ;  while  the  chin  and  throat  are  nearly  bare,  but  little  more  than 
the  shafts  of  the  old  feathers  remaining,  and  a  scattering  growth  of  pin 
feathers  just  beginning  to  appear.  The  feathers  of  the  crest  are  mostly 
new,  but  still  ensheathed  for  about  half  their  length ;  while  the  neck  and 
anterior  portion  of  the  dorsum  still  retain  the  old  worn  plumage. 

Specimens  in  fresh,  unworn  plumage  have  the  upper  parts  of  a  de 
cidedly  bluish  tinge,  in  marked  contrast  to  the  brown  dorsum  of  late 
spring  and  summer  birds. 

Aphelocoma  woodhousei  (Baird).     Woodhouse  Jay. 

This  species  is  resident  in  the  oak  belt  from  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains up  to  an  altitude  of  7500  feet,  and  is  possibly  fairly  common  in  this 
region  :  but  from  the  quiet,  retiring  disposition  of  the  birds  (a  striking 
contrast  to  the  rest  of  the  family!)  they  are  seldom  seen,  and  it  would 
be  an  easy  matter  for  even  an  experienced  collector  to  overlook  them  en- 
tirely. They  frequent  the  steep  brush-covered  hillsides  for  the  most 
part,  seldom  venturing  down  into  the  canyons,  or  into  the  open  any- 
where :  and  though  their  note  can  occasionally  be  heard,  though  they 
do  not  call  very  much  either,  a  fleeting  glimpse  of  a  bird  sneaking 
through  the  brush,  close  to  the  ground,  is  the  most  that  is  usually  ob- 
tained. They  are  possibly  more  abundant  on  the  west  slope  of  the 
mountains  than  elsewhere ;  and  they  are  generally  rather  local  in  their 


30  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  fNo.  4 

distribution,  favoring  certain  spots  in  certain  canyons,  where  they  can 
usually  be  found,  to  the  exclusion  of  other  places  presenting  apparently 
precisely  similar  conditions.  On  April  6,  1903,  I  scared  several  from 
some  oaks  at  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  with  considerable  difficulty 
secured  one.  Possibly  these  were  migrating  birds,  as  it  was  a  place  they 
did  not  usually  frequent ;  and  the  one  secured,  a  female  in  very  worn 
plumage,  was  evidently  not  breeding,  not  even  paired  off  in  fact.  On 
July  23,  1902,  I  saw  a  fully  fledged  juvenile  at  an  altitude  of  about  756a 
feet.  I  was  not  able  to  secure  it,  for  as  I  was  resting  by  the  side  of  the 
trail  it  lit  on  a  limb  but  a  few  feet  away,  and  after  a  short  inspection,  left 
rather  abruptly,  nor  did  I  see  it  again. 

Aphelocoma  sieberii  arizonae  Ridgway.    Arizona  Jay. 

Noisy,  fussy  and  quarrelsome  as  all  the  jays  are,  I  know  of  no  other 
species  which  possesses  to  such  an  eminent  degree  the  quality  of  prying 
into  all  manner  of  things  which  do  not  concern  it,  and  of  making  such  a 
nuisance  of  itself  in  general,  on  the  slightest  provocation  or  on  none  at 
all,  as  the  Arizona  Jay  does.  They  are  very  gregarious,  and  even  during 
the  breeding  season  may  be  seen  travelling  through  the  oaks  in  flocks  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  or  more,  ostensibly  seeking  for  food,  but  also  on  the 
lookout  for  trouble,  or  any  excitement  which  might  turn  up.  A  collector 
travelling  through  the  woods  gets  his  fair  share  of  invectives,  especially 
if  he  is  examining  nests,  shrieked  from  the  tree  tops  at  a  safe  distance, 
to  the  accompaniment  of  bobbing  heads  and  twitching  tails;  a  Red-tail 
or  Swainson  Hawk  sitting  on  some  limb,  furnishes  a  little  excitement 
until  he  removes  to  some  quiter  locality;  but  the  crowning  joy  of  all  is 
to  find  some  wretched  fox  or  wild  cat  quietly  ensconsed  on  some  broad, 
sheltered,  oak  limb.  In  such  a  case  the  one  that  finds  the  unhappy  vic- 
tim takes  care  to  let  every  jay  within  half  a  mile  know  from  his  outcry 
that  there  is  some  excitement  on  hand ;  and  it  is  nothing  unusual  to  see 
thirty  or  forty  birds  gathered  about  the  object  of  their  aversion,  letting 
him  know  in  no  undecided  terms  just  what  their  opinion  of  him  is.  It  is 
a  curious  sight  also  to  see  a  dozen  or  more  gathered  around  some  large 
snake,  which  they  seem  to  fear  nearly  as  much  as  they  hate.  On  one 
occasion  I  had  an  excellent  opportunity  of  watching  about  twenty  Ari- 
zona Jays  prgtesting  at  the  presence  of  rather  a  large  rattlesnake  which 
was  leisurely  travelling  down  a  dry  watercourse  which  passed  our 
camp.  The  jays  seemed  imbued  with  a  wholesome  fear  of  their  wicked 
looking  antogonist,  and  though  they  surrounded  it,  kept  at  a  respectful 
distance ;  they  were  not  as  noisy  as  they  often  are,  but  kept  uttering  low 
querulous  cries,  quite  different  from  their  usual  outbursts.  Some  of  the 
boldest  lit  a  short  distance  from  the  snake  and  strutted  before  it  in  a 
most  curious  fashion,  head  and  body  held  bolt  upright,  and  the  tail 
pressed  down  on  the  ground  until  about  a  third  of  it  was  dragging.  A 
bird  we  had  in  captivity  for  some  time  strutted  about  in  the  same  comical 
fashion  whenever  it  was  angered  and  wished  to  show  fight.  On  many 
occasions  while  out  collecting,  I  have  heard  an  outburst  of  jay's  voices 
drawing  nearer  and  nearer,  until  presently  a  Cooper,  or  Sharp-shinned 
Hawk,  passed  silently,  like  a  ghost  down  the  canyon  ;  while  behind  it  a 
straggling  stream  of  jays  trooped,  anything  but  ghost-like,  screaming 
and  clamoring,  to  the  great  detriment  of  the  hawk's  hunting,  who  re- 
garded them,  I  have  no  doubt,  with  precisely  the  same  feeling  that  most 
of  the  deer  hunters  of  this  region  have  for  the  jays.  Beside  his  vocal 
outbursts,  the  Arizona  Jay  m^kes  when  flying  a  curious  fluttering:  noise 
with  his  wings,  loud  and  distinct  enough  to  be  heard  some  little  dis- 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA  ^\ 

tance  producing-  a  curious  effect ;  especially  when,  as  often  happens,  a 
troop  of  them  comes  swooping  down  some  steep  hill  side  to  the  bottom 
of  the  canyon.  Though  wary  and  cunning  to  a  marked  degree,  so  that  it 
is  usually  impossible  to  get  within  gun  shot  of  them,  still  their  curi- 
osity leads  to  their  destruction ;  for  it  fs  a  simple  matter  for  the  collector, 
by  hiding  behind  a  bush  and  making  any  squeaking  or  hissing  noise,  to 
get  all  the  specimens  desired.  In  fact  they  fairly  tumble  over  one  an- 
other to  find  out  what  is  going  on ;  and  I  had  not  the  slightest  trouble  in 
getting  as  many  as  I  wished  with  a  ,32  caliber  auxiliary,  though  other- 
wise it  would  have  been  difficult  to  secure  any  even  with  a  twelve  gauge. 
Owing  to  the  gregarious  nature  of  the  bird,  it  is  difficult  to  say  just 
when  they  pair  off,  for  even  when  breeding  they  remain  in  flocks  to  some 
extent ;  but  they  seem  generally  to  begin  building  their  nests  about  thf 
first  of  April,  though  I  have  taken  specimens  late  in  April  which  had  not 
yet  paired  off.  There  seems  to  be  no  difference  in  the  territory  occupied 
hy  these  jays  at  different  seasons ;  I  have  never  seen  them  above  7500, 
and  they  are  most  abundant  below  6000  feet,  breeding  down  quite  to  the 
base  of  the  mountains.  Though  so  extremely  gregarious  they  do  not 
seem  to  mix  with  any  of  the  other  species,  and  though  I  have  seen  both 
Woodhouse  and  Longcrested  feeding  in  company  with  the  Arizona,  it, 
was  evident  that  they  were  merely  drawn  together  in  the  search  of  food, 
and  when  disturbed  the  different  species  did  not  attempt  to  stick  to- 
gether. Acorns  form  a  staple  article  of  diet  with  these  birds,  and  the\ 
can  be  seen  everywhere  under  the  oak  trees  searching  for  their  favorite 
food,  progressing  by  means  of  strong,  easy,  hops ;  and  poking  under 
sticks  and  stones,  eating  what  they  can,  and  hiding  more  for  future  use. 
On  finding  an  acorn,  a  retreat  is  made  to  some  near-by  limb  or  boulder, 
where  the  prize  is  held  between  the  two  feet,  and  opened  by  a  few  wel\ 
directed  blows.  The  tame  bird  before  mentioned,  could  in  this  manner 
demolish  a  lead  pencil  in  a  very  few  minutes,  so  that  it  can  be  imagined 
that  an  acorn  presents  no  particular  difficulties. 

Soon  after  the  first  of  June  young  birds  begin  to  appear,  and  by  the 
middle  of  the  month  are  very  much  in  evidence  everywhere  in  the  oak 
region ;  first  sitting  in  the  trees  squalling  to  be  fed,  but  very  soon  de- 
scending to  the  ground  and  rustling  for  themselves.  The  young  are,  in 
general  appearance,  very  similar  to  the  adults,  but  with  the  upper  parts 
brownish  with  hardly  a  trace  of  blue,  and  the  lower  parts  a  dingy  gray- 
ish brown ;  while  the  base  of  the  bill  is  always  light  colored,  to  a  varying 
extent.  Sometimes  the  lower  mandible  is  nearly  all  light  colored  with 
but  a  dusky  spot  near  the  tip,  -and  sometimes  the  upper  mandible  also  is 
light  colored  for  nearly  half  its  length.  A  considerable  number  of  birds 
taken  in  the  early  spring,  and  some  breeding  birds,  retain  the  light 
colored  base  to  the  lower  mandible  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  but  I 
think  it  is  unquestionably  a  sign  of  immaturity;  those  seeming  to  be  the 
oldest  and  most  mature  having  the  upper  parts  almost  uniformly  blue, 
the  throat  and  upper  breast,  strongly  tinged  with  the  same  color  and  the 
bill  invariably  black ;  while  those  with  the  lower  mandible  still  retaining 
more  or  less  of  the  light  color  have  most  of  the  wing  coverts,  tertials 
and  dorsum,  grayish  brown,  with  hardly  a  trace  of  blue  on  the  breast, 
and  the  blue  of  the  head,  rump,  etc.,  not  nearly  as  bright  as  in  the  more 
mature  birds.  lii  short  the  brightest  colored  birds  of  iDoth  sexes  always 
have  the  bill  black  throughout,  and  those  with  the  parti-colored  bills  are 
always  the  dullest  in  coloration.  About  the  first  of  August  young  and 
old  begin  to  moult  together,  and  the  grayish  colored  immatured  birds 


32  PACIFIC   COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

variously  blotched  with  blue,  may  be  seen  all  through  the  month.  T]ie 
adults  renew  their  plumage  entirely  at  this  time,  but  the  juveniles  seem 
to  retain  the  rectrices  and  remiges  acquired  with  the  first  plumage.  I  left 
before  the  moult  was  completed,  but  specimens  taken  in  February  and 
March,  which  I  take  to  be  birds  of  the  previous  year,  have  these  feathers 
much  more  worn  and  abraded  than  have  the  more  highly  colored,  older 
birds.  Two  old  females  taken  the  middle  of  August  are  in  the  midst  of 
the  autumnal  moult,  covered  with  pin  feathers,  and  with  many  old 
feathers  still  scattered  over  the  body. 

Corvus  corax  sinuatus  (Wagler).    American  Raven. 

I  have  occasionally,  but  not  often,  seen  large  ravens  in  the  higher 
parts  of  the  mountains,  their  size,  as  well  as  the  different  note,  serving 
to  distinguish  them  from  their  smaller  white-necked  cousins  of  the 
plains.  Possibly  they  breed  in  the  mountains,  but  I  know  of  no  instance 
of  a  nest  being  found,  or  of  any  other  evidence  showing  that  they  do  so. 

Corvus  crytoleucus  Couch.    White-necked  Raven. 

On  the  plains  and  in  the  low  lands  generally  in  this  region,  the 
White-necked  Raven,  or  "Crow,"  as  it  usually  called  here,  is  a  most 
'abundant  resident ;  and  though  not  a  mountain  bird,  properly  speaking,^ 
they  frequently  come  up  into  the  canyons,  and  on  the  lower  foothills, 
usually  after  dead  cattle.  They  are  usually  quite  tame  and  unsuspicious, 
paying  little  or  no  attention  to  a  man  on  horseback  or  a  wagon  passing 
by ;  but  after  being  shot  at  a  few  times  soon  become  very  wary  and  hard 
to  approach,  and  as  they  are  usually  out  on  the  open  prairie  it  is  an  easy 
matter  for  them  to  keep  out  of  the  way.  On  one  occasion  I  approached 
a  flock  of  thirty  or  forty  busily  engaged  in  catching  grasshoppers,  and  as 
they  began  to  leave  long  before  I  arrived  within  gunshot,  I  thought  to 
try  an  experiment ;  wondering  if  an  appeal  to  their  curiosity  might  not 
be  as  successful  as  it  usually  was  with  the  jays.  Tying  a  stone  in  the 
corner  of  a  red  bandana  handkerchief,  I  tossed  it  high  into  the  air,  and 
the  result  far  exceeded  my  expectations ;  for  though  standing  in  plain 
sight,  they  came  headlong  to  see  what  it  was  that  had  fluttered  to  the 
ground,  and  from  that  time  on  I  had  no  difficulty  in  securing  White- 
necked  Ravens.  When  one  or  more  were  shot  out  of  a  flock  the  re- 
mainder did  not  fly  off  and  alight  again,  but  usually  circled  about,  keep- 
ing in  rather  a  compact  body  and  ascending  higher  and  higher;  not  de- 
scending to  the  ground  for  a  considerable  length  of  time,  and  usually  a 
long  ways  off.  On  May  3,  1902,  I  heard  a  flock  of  Ravens  making  a 
great  commotion  in  the  air,  and  at  first  supposed  them  to  be  mobbing  a 
h^wk,  but  on  their  descending  nearer  to  the  ground  and  passing  within 
about  a  hundred  yards  of  where  I  was  standing,  I  saw  that  what  I  had 
t-iken  for  a  hawk  was  undoubtedly  a  White-necked  Raven,  but  of  a 
uniform  pale  brown  color  throughout.  After  a  time  the  others  appeared 
to  become  reconciled  to  their  unique  companion,  and  they  all  passed 
amicably  away  together.  In  the  spring  of  1903,  I  noticed  a  place  on  the 
plains  some  eight  or  ten  miles  from  the  mountains,  where  some  species 
of  bird  w^s  evidently  roosting  in  large  numbers.  The  plains  are  cov- 
ered with  brush  at  this  point,  mostly  scrubby  mesquite,  and  for  a  space 
some  two  hundred  yards  long  and  twenty-five  or  thirty  yards  wide  the 
trees  were  almost  destroyed  by  the  use  to  which  they  had  been  put. 
The  ground  underneath  was  inches  deep  with  excreta,  and  the  trunks 
and  branches  of  the  trees  were  white  with  the  same;  while  they  were 
almost  totally  denuded  of  leaves,  except  at  the  extreme  top  where  a  little 


April   1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  33 

green  still  lingered.  In  many  cases  the  limbs  were  broken  down  by  the 
weight  of  the  birds.  From  the  appearance  of  the  excreta  it  was  evi- 
dently a  large  species  of  bird  that  was  roosting  there,  and  as  on  a  careful 
examination  none  but  raven  feathers  could  be  found  lying  about,  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  they  who  were  using  the  place,  though  I 
never  found  them  roosting  in  such  large  numbers  in  any  one  place  before. 
At  the  neighboring  schoolhouse  the  ravens  were  in  the  habit  of 
gathering  early  in  the  afternoon,  and  cleaning  up  the  scraps  thrown  aside 
from  the  children's  lunches,  strutting  about  the  doorsteps  like  so  many 
chickens.  They  are  late  in  breeding  though  here  in  abundance  all 
through  the  spring;  and  at  nearly  the  end  of  May  I  have  seen  flocks  of 
a  hundred  or  more  birds.  I  have  found  eggs  the  first  week  in  June,  but 
the  bulk  of  them  probably  lay  rather  later.  Their  nests  are  scattered  in 
considerable  numbers  along  the  washes  leading  from  the  mountains, 
being  built  indiscriminately  in  sycamores,  walnuts,  mesquites,  or  any- 
thing that  will  suport  the  structure.  From  the  nature  of  the  trees  they 
are  in  they  are  seldom  over  twenty  or  twenty-five  above  the  ground,  and 
I  saw  one  nest  in  a  little  mesquite  not  over  four  feet  from  the  ground. 
Early  in  August  the  young  birds  begin  leaving  the  nests,  and  when  they 
have  attained  their  growth  young  and  old  gather  together  in  enormou:^ 
flocks.  Juveniles  taken  at  this  time  are  much  like  the  adults,  but  the 
plumage  is  of  a  dull  black  with  none  of  the  purplish  gloss  of  the  old  birds, 
except  on  the  wing  and  its  coverts ;  the  lanceolate  throat  feathers  of  the 
adult  are  also  lacking,  but  the  base  of  the  feathers  of  the  throat  and  neck 
is  white,  as  in  the  old  bird.  The  base  of  the  lower  mandible  is  light  col- 
ored, (reddish  in  the  dry  skin)  to  a  varying  extent.  Three  young  birds 
nearly  full  fledged,  were  taken  from  a  nest  August  i6,  1902,  and  in  spite 
of  their  protests,  vocal  and  otherwise,  taken  to  the  camp  and  lodged  in 
a  large  box.  One  soon  died  but  the  others  did  very  well  and  returned  to 
Los  Angeles  with  us  in  September,  About  the  first  of  October  they  com- 
menced to  moult ;  by  the  middle  of  the  month  they  were  very  ragged 
looking,  one  being  completly  bald,  but  by  the  first  of  November  they  had 
renewed  their  entire  plumage,  except  the  rectrices  and  remiges.  When 
we  first  secured  them  about  the  basal  half  of  the  lower  mandible  was 
light  colored,  but  this  area  became  more  and  more  restricted,  retreating 
toward  the  base  of  the  bill,  until  by  the  time  the  moult  was  completed 
the  bill  was  entirely  black. 

Nucifraga  columbiana  (Wilson).     Clarke  Nutcracker. 

My  personal  experience  with  this  species  has  been  extremely 
limited.  On  June  21,  1902,  a  single  bird  passed  over  my  head  going  in  a 
southerly  direction,  at  the  extreme  summit  of  the  mountains.  This  is 
the  only  one  I  have  seen,  but  I  have  some  taken  in  the  Huachucas  by  H. 
Kimball  durinp-  April,  i8qv  I  have  been  told  that  it  is  of  quit"  common 
occurrence  at  times,  but  it  is  probably  very  irregular  in  its  visits. 

Cyanocephalus  cyanocephalus  (Wied).     Pinon  Jay. 

On  May  8,  1902,  a  large  flock  of  Pinon  Jays  was  seen  late  in  the 
afternoon,  flying  about  some  oaks  on  a  steep  hillside,  apparently  looking 
for  a  place  to  roost.  They  were  very  restless  and  hard  to  approach,  and 
it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  I  secured  three  of  them.  Another  flock 
was  seen  on  May  15,  but  no  more  secured.  The  three  I  shot,  a  male  and 
two  females,  were  adult  birds  in  rather  worn  plumage,  and  it  is  some- 
.thing  of  a  puzzle  just  what  they  were  doing  here  at  this  time,  as  they 
do  not  breed  anywhere  in  the  Huachucas.    On  August  22,  1902,  I  heard 


34  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  fNo.   4 

a  flock  calling-  as  they  passed  by,  but  was  unable  to  catch  sight  oi  them 
on  account  of  the  thick  trees  in  which  I  was  standing.  These  are  the 
only  occasions  on  which  I  have  met  with  the  species  in  this  region. 

Molothrus  ater  obscurus  (Gmelin).    Dwarf  Cowbird. 

About  the  first  of  May,  Cowbirds  begin  to  appear  in  small  numbers 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  but  they  never  become  at  all  abundant. 
Occasionally  I  have  seen  them  as  high  as  5500  feet,  but  as  a  rule  they 
do  not  venture  far  up  into  the  mountains ;  remaining  more  at  the  base 
of  the  hills  and  in  the  mouths  of  the  canyons.  They  are  most  numerous 
about  the  middle  of  May,  and  leave  early  in  the  summer;  I  saw  none  in 
the  Huachucas  after  the  middle  of  July. 

Sturnella  magna  subspecies  ?.     Meadow  Lark. 

T  have  seen  a  few  meadow  larks  in  various  places  along  the  base  of 
the  Huachucas,  usually  in  the  tall  grass  in  enclosed  pastures,  but  they 
are  anything  but  abundant,  and  those  I  saw  were  so  wild  as  to  be  utterly 
unapproachable,  so  I  was  unable  to  secure  a  single  specimen.  I  have 
seen  them  at  various  times  through  the  spring  and  summer,  so  the  few 
that  are  there  undoubtedly  breed  in  the  locality.  As  I  unfortunately 
failed  to  secure  any  it  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  say  whether  those  I 
saw  were  neglecta  or  hoopesi,  either  or  both  of  which  may  occur  in  this 
region. 

Icterus  parisorum  Bonaparte.     Scott  Oriole. 

A  most  abundant  summer  resident,  principally  frequenting  the 
lower  parts  of  the  mountains,  though  I  have  occasionally  seen  it  as  high 
as  8000  feet.  The  earliest  date  at  which  I  have  seen  any  was  March  31, 
1903,  when  a  male  was  secured ;  no  more  being  seen  until  April  5,  after 
which  date  they  were  abundant.  Until  nearly  the  end  of  April  small 
flocks  of  from  six  to  a  dozen  birds  could  be  found  along  the  canyons, 
usually  below  5000  feet,  feeding-  in  the  tops  of  the  trees,  where,  in  spite 
of  the  brilliant  plumage  and  loud,  ringing  whistle  of  the  male  birds,  they 
were  anything  but  conspicuous.  In  feeding  they  sit  quietly  on  the  limbs 
prying  and  peering  into  such  buds  as  are  within  reach,  any  necessary 
change  of  position  being  accomplished  by  clambering  along  the  branches 
with  hardly  any  fluttering  of  the  wings ;  and  as  their  plumage,  though 
bright,  harmonizes  exceedingly  well  with  the  surrounding  foliage,  they 
could  be  easily  overlooked  were  it  not  for  the  loud  notes  to  which  the 
males  give  utterance  at  frequent  intervals.  The  first  to  arrive  were  the 
old,  bright  plumaged  males,  then  a  week  or  so  later  some  females  began 
to  come  in,  and  finally  toward  the  end  of  April,  what  few  flocks  were 
seen  were  composed  of  females,  and  males  presumably  of  the  previous 
year,  in  every  stage  of  plumage,  most  of  them  indistinguishable  from  the 
more  highly  colored  females.  The  males  in  intermediate  stages  of  plu- 
mage were  very  abundant  for  a  time,  and  as  specimens  were  secured  in 
every  phase  from  those  absolutely  indistinguishable  from  some  females, 
up  to  the  fully  mature  male,  I  should  think  it  very  probable  that  two 
years,  at  least,  are  required  to  obtain  the  perfect  plumage.  The  dullest 
colored  male  I  secured  has  the  black  restricted  to  the  lores,  cheeks, 
throat  and  upper  breast,  while  the  top  of  the  head  and  sides  of  the  neck 
are  olive-green  slightly  specked  with  black.  Some  others  are  much  like 
this  one,  but  with  the  top  and  sides  of  the  head  more  or  less  uniform, 
though  dull,  black.  In  all  but  one  of  these  the  tail  is  precisely  as  in  the 
female,  plain  yellowish-olve,  but  little  darker  toward  the  tip ;  the  excep- 
tion has  three  rectrices  bright  yellow,  the  terminal  third  abruptly  darker, 


April   1904]        BIRDS  OP  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  '    35 

nearly  as  dark  as  in  the  adult  male.  These  are  not  new  feathers,  for  all 
the  rectrices  are  equally  worn  and  have  the  appearance  of  having  been 
acquired  the  previous  fall.  Another  specimen  is  a  step  nearer  the  mature 
plumage ;  the  black  of  the  head  and  breast  is  more  extensive  and  more 
glossy ;  the  back  is  dull  black,  and  the  feathers  of  this  pai;t  as  well  as 
those  of  the  nape  and  sides  of  the  neck  are  edged  with  grayish  and  yel- 
lowish so  as  to  produce  a  somewhat  mottled  effect.  The  pattern  of 
coloration  of  the  tail  is  exactly  as  in  the  adult  male,  but  the  colors  much 
duller ;  and  the  under  parts  and  the  rump  are  dull  greenish  yellow  but 
little  brighter  than  the  female.  Still  another  is  very  nearly  perfect ;  the 
wings  and  the  tail  have  the  bright,  sharply  defined  colors  of  the  adult, 
the  throat  and  breast  are  glossy  black,  and  while  the  yellow  of  the  lower 
parts  is  not  so  bright  as  in  my  finest  specimens,  still  it  does  not  fall  short 
of  it  very  much.  The  upper  parts,  however,  are  duller ;  the  head  is  black 
but  with  very  little  gloss,  while  from  the  nape  the  feathers  of  the  back 
are  broadly  edged  with  olive-yellow  and  green.  The  rump,  too,  is  dull 
greenish  yellow  but  little  brighter  than  in  some  females.  Mr.  Brewster, 
in  his  "Birds  of  the  Cape  Region  of  Lower  California"  dwells  at  some 
length  of  this  same  intermediate  plumage  of  the  male  of  Icterus  pari- 
soriim,  and  seems  to  doubt  the  probability  of  its  indicating  immaturity ; 
and  though  I  have  not  the  advantage  of  anything  like  as  extensive  a 
series  as  was  at  his  disposal  (I  have  no  fall  specimens  but  have  examined 
in  this  connection  thirty-five  males  taken  by  myself  in  the  Huachuca 
Mountains  and  near  Tucson  from  March  to  July)  I  can  not  help  think- 
ing that  this  is  the  explanation  of  the  variation.  It  is  not  a  well  defined 
phase  either  of  color  or  markings,  for,  as  I  have  shown,  there  is  a  nicely 
graded  series  of  changes  from  a  dull  plumage  similar  to  the  female,  up 
to  the  brightest  colored  male.  The  fact  that  these  dull  colored  males 
arrive  in  the  spring  later  even  than  the  female  would  also  indicate  their 
immaturity.  The  fact  that  they  breed  in  this  plumage  is  indisputable, 
but  I  should  imagine  that  to  merely  prove  that  more  than  a  year  is  re- 
quired to  obtain  the  full  plumage.  Most  of  the  male  birds  I  secured  have 
more  or  less  traces  of  grayish-white  edgings  to  the  feathers  of  the  lower 
back,  the  only  one  without  any  trace  of  these  markings  being  a  specimen 
taken  late  in  July,  in  very  abraded  plumage,  and  nearly  ready  to  com- 
mence the  moult.  About  a  third  of  the  females  secured  have  the  throat 
and  upper  breast,  and  sometimes  the  top  of  the  head  black,  much  as  in 
the  more  imperfect  males ;  one  has  a  few  scattered  black  spots  on  the 
breast,  and  the  remainder  have  no  trace  of  black  on  these  parts. 

The  Scott  Orioles  seem  to  leave  the  Huachucas  very  soon  after  they 
are  through  breeding;  I  have  taken  none  after  July  and  though  some  may 
linger  through  August,  I  have  no  notes  or  recollections  of  seeing  any 
at  this  time. 

On  May  25th,  1903,  I  secured  a  set  of  four  fresh  eggs  near  the  mouth 
of  one  of  tl*e  canyons,  at  an  altitude  of  about  4500  feet.  The  nest  was 
built  under  the  sharp,  overhanging  leaves  of  a  yucca,  about  four  feet 
from  the  ground. 

Icterus  cucullatus  nelsoni  Ridgway.     Arizona  Hooded  Oriole. 

The  Arizona  Hooded  Orioles  hardly  enter  into  the  mountains  at  all, 
except  in  the  migrations,  when  I  have  occasionally  seen  a  few  half  a  mile 
or  so  up  the  canyon  ;  but  in  the  washes  below  they  are  quite  abundant 
throughout  the  summer.  The  earliest  arrival  noted  was  a  male  on  April 
4th,  but  they  were  not  really  abundant  until  after  the  middle  of  the 
month.    Two  males  secured  are  in  the  dull  plumage  of  the  female,  with 


36  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

hardly  any  black  on  the  throat.  In  one  of  these  there  are  black  feathers 
scattered  throughout  the  area  which  is  all  black  in  the  adult  male;  but 
the  other  has  but  two  or  three  black  spots  on  the  throat.  These  two  birds 
taken  May  6th  and  8th,  1903,  were  paired  ofif  and  preparing  to  breed. 

Icterus  bullocki  (Swainson).     Bullock  Oriole. 

The  only  time  at  which  I  have  seen  Bullock  Orioles  at  all  abundant 
in  the  Huachuca  Mountains  was  in  August,  1902.  About  the  middle  of 
the  month  flocks  of  from  ten  to  twenty,  nearly  all  young  birds,  could  be 
seen  along  the  canyons  up  to  an  altitude  of  about  5500  feet.  Most  of  these 
must  have  come  in  from  other  parts  of  the  country,  for  I  have  never 
found  them  breeding  at  all  abundantly  in  the  movintains  .being  in  fact, 
the  rarest  of  the  three  species  of  orioles  occurring  there.  They  probably 
arrive,  usually,  about  the  first  week  in  April  along  with  the  Hooded  and 
Scott  Orioles  ;  in  1902  I  saw  one  on  April  3rd  and  they  were  fairly  com- 
mon by  the  middle  of  the  month,  but  in  1903  the  first  I  saw  was  on  May 
4th,  after  I  had  begun  to  think  that  they  were  not  coming  at  all.  They 
kept  arriving  in  a  leisurely  fashion,  and  it  was  after  the  middle  of  May 
before  I  saw  any  beginning  to  pair  ofif.  They  breed  mostly  along  the 
washes  in  the  same  localities  as  the  Hooded  Oriole. 

Scolecophagus  cyanocephalus  fWagler).     Brewer  Blackbird. 

I  have  seen  this  species  about  the  yards  and  corrals  at  Fort  Hua- 
chuca but  hardly  anywhere  else.  A  solitary  female  was  shot  in  a  dry. 
wash  some  three  miles  from  the  mountains  on  May  8,  1903. 

Coccothraustes  vespertinus  montanus  (Ridgway).  Western  Evening 
Grosbeak. 
I  am  in  doubt  as  to  whether  this  species  breeds  in  the  Huachucas 
or  not,  for  though  I  have  never  seen  any  at  any  time  in  the  spring  or 
early  summer,  on  July  30,  1902,  I  came  onto  about  half  a  dozen  birds 
scattered  through  the  pines  at  an  altitude  of  about  9000  feet.  An  old 
male  was  observed  feeding  a  fully  fledged  young,  and  secured,  but  the 
young  one  flew  off  and  was  not  seen  again.  All  that  were  seen  were  very 
wild,  and  after  securing  a  second  bird,  a  female,  I  was  unable  to  ap- 
proach within  gunshot  of  any  more.  I  am  satisfied  that  these  birds  had 
not  bred  anywhere  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  place  where  they 
were  at  this  time,  for  I  had  done  a  good  deal  of  collecting  there  during 
the  summer  and  would  certainly  have  seen  or  heard  them  ;  but  they 
might  have  done  so  in  some  more  distant  part  of  the  range  which  I  had 
not  visited.  The  two  secured  were  in  badly  worn  plumage,  the  female 
having  commenced  to  moult.  On  this  occasion  all  the  birds  seen  were 
scattered  individuals,  but  on  August  3rd  a  flock  of  six  or  eight  were  seen 
at  a  spot  some  five  miles  distant,  and  on  August  30th  a  flock  of  over  a 
dozen  was  seen  near  this  latter  place.  These  birds  were  all  so  wild  that 
I  was  unable  to  get  anywhere  near  them,  and  so  none  were  secured. 

Carpodacus  cassini  Baird.     Cassin  Purple  Finch. 

A  migrant,  but  probably  of  irregular  occurrence.  At  various  times 
during  the  spring  of  1903,  I  saw  flocks  of  Cassin  Purple  Finch  in  the  pines 
from  9000  feet  upward,  specimens  being  secured  from  April  8th  to  May 
nth;  while  during  the  previous  year  all  that  were  seen  were  one  or  two 
stray  birds  about  the  middle  of  April  in  the  canyons  below  5000  feet. 
They  were  frequently  found  in  company  with  the  Pine  Siskin,  feeding 
simetimes  on  the  ground  and  sometimes  in  the  trees,  the  two  species 
flying  away  together  when  disturbed.     Several  male  birds  secured,  one 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THH  HITACHUCA   MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  .37 

as  late  as  May  ii,  were  in  the  brown  streaked  plumage  of  the  female, 
and  several  in  this  plumage  were  in  full  song. 

Carpodacus  mexicanus  frontalis  (Say).    House  Finch. 

A  summer  resident,  but  in  very  limited  numbers.  I  have  not  found 
it  common  anywhere  in  or  near  the  mountains,  nor  have  I  seen  any  above 
6000  and  but  very  few  above  5000  feet.  The  first  seen  in  1903,  was  a  male 
which  I  secured  on  March  6;  from  then  until  the  first  of  May  two  flocks 
of  five  or  six  each,  and  an  occasional  bird  at  long  intervals,  were  all  that 
were  seen.  In  May  a  few  were  observed  in  pairs  and  they  gradually 
iDecame  more  numerous  as  the  summer  advanced.  I  have  seen  more  in 
August  than  at  any  other  time,  but  they  never  become  abundant  enough 
to  call  upon  their  heads  the  wrath  of  the  fruit  grower,  as  in  California ; 
and  as  several  species  of  birds  have  done  here,  more  or  less  deservedly. 
Though  the  House  Finches  I  secured  in  the  Huachucas  and  Santa  Rita 
Mountains  do  not  differ  appreciably  in  size  or  proportions  from  South- 
ern California  birds,  the  difference  of  color  in  the  males  is  certainly 
striking;  the  Arizona  birds  having  the  head  and  breast  of  a  bright  rose- 
pink,  very  different  from  the  darker  colored  California  birds.  There  is 
usually  more  or  less  red  on  the  back,  and  frequently  the  whole  crown  is 
uniformly  of  this  color,  but  there  is  considerable  variation  in  these  re- 
spects. 

>Loxia  curvirostra  stricklandi  Ridgway.     Mexican  Crossbill. 

My  experience  with  this  species  was  very  limited,  but  from  informa- 
tion received  from  Mr.  O.  W.  Howard  and  others,  I  should  judge  that  it 
occurred  with  fair'  regularity  in  the  Huachucas  as  a  fall  migrant.  The 
first  I  saw  was  a  flock  of  four  birds  on  August  30,  1902,  at  an  elevation 
of  about  9000  feet,  and  I  saw  others  on  several  occasions  before  I  left  the 
mountains,  about  a  week  later.  All  that  were  seen  were  so  wild  as  to 
be  unapproachable,  and  it  was  by  chance  that  I  secured  a  single  bird,  a 
female,  which  happened  to  alight  within  gunshot  of  where  I  was  stand- 
ing. I  have  several  males  taken  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains  by  H. 
Kimball,  apparently  in  fresh  autumnal  plumage,  but  unfortunately  with- 
out data. 

Astragalinus  psaltria  (Say).     Arkansas  Goldfinch. 

I  have  never  found  this  species  at  all  common  in  the  Huachuca 
Mountains.  From  March  until  nearly  the  end  of  June  an  occasional 
stray  bird,  wandering  up  into  the  canyons,  was  all  that  was  seen  ;  but 
after  the  summer  rains  they  became  a  little  more  abundant,  and  small 
flocks  were  frequently  seen  feeding  on  weeds  close  to  the  ground ;  oc- 
casionally venturing  up  the  canyons  to  an  altitude  of  5500  feet.  All  the. 
males  secured  have  more  or  less  admixture  of  black  in  the  auriculars. 
scapulars,  etc.,  and  one  or  two  very  dark  colored  ones  were  seen  but  not 
secured. 

Spinus  pinus  (Wilson).     Pine  Siskin. 

A  very  abundant  migrant,  appearing  about  the  end  of  March  and 
remaining  in  considerable  numbers  until  the  end  of  May.  I  saw  one  or 
two  single  birds  in  June,  1902,  but  doubt  very  much  if  any  breed  in  the 
r^ountains,  though  from  the  early  date  at  which  they  reappear  in  the 
fall,  their  breeding  ground  can  not  lie  so  very  far  to  the  northward.  On 
August  7,  1902,  I  saw  several  flocks,  and  from  that  time  on  they  were 
quite  abundant ;  but  though  in  the  spring  they  were  generally  distributed 
throughout  the  mountains,  in  August  all  that  were  seen  were  in  the  pines 


^8  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.   4 

from  8500  feet  upward.  All  the  specimens  taken  at  this  time  were  adults 
in  very  worn  plumage,  several  of  them  with  the  lower  part  discolored 
with  reddish  stain.  The  series  of  Siskins  I  secured  in  this  res^ion  aver- 
ages paler  and  grayer  than  Southern  California  birds ;  with  the  streak- 
ing of  the  lowef  parts  restricted  more  to  the  sides  and  flanks,  so  that 
frequently  the  median  line  from  the  bill  to  the  tail  is  almost  immaculate. 
Occasionally  the  plumage  above  and  below  is  suffused  with  greenish 
yellow  to  a  considerable  extent.  Only  once  have  I  seen  this  species 
anywhere  in  the  lowlands  in  this  region,  on  April  17,  1902,  when  a  few 
were  seen  in  some  willows  along  the  San  Pedro  River,  some  twelve 
miles  from  the  mountains. 

Calcarius  ornatus  (Townsend).     Chestnut-collared  Longspun 

For  a  month  or  so  in  the  spring  Chestnut-Collared  I.ongspurs  were 
quite  abundant  on  the  plains  below  the  Huachucas,  and  could  be  seen 
almost  anywhere,  usually,  in  large  flocks.  The  first  observed  were  on 
March  14,  when  one  or  two  small  flocks  were  seen  passing  overhead. 
From  that  time  on  their  numbers  rapidly  increased  and  the  last  week  in 
March  and  the  first  in  April  they  were  at  the  height  of  their  abundance. 
They  began  leaving  about  the  middle  of  April,  and  by  the  end  of  the 
month  were  practically  all  gone,  the  last  seen  being  a  small  flock,  ap- 
parently all  females,  on  May  3,  1902. 

Rynchophanes  mccowni  (Lawrence).     McCown  Longspun 

Recorded  by  O.  C.  Poling  as  common  at  Fort  Huachuca  during 
February  and  March  (Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol,  15,  1890,  71  j.  I 
have  never  met  with  the  species  here  myself. 

Pooecetes  gramineus  confinis  Baird.     Western  Vesper  Sparrow. 

The  Western  Vesper  Sparrow  is  quite  a  common  migrant  in  the 
lowlands  of  this  region,  occurring  as  far  up  as  the  base  of  the  mountains. 
Near  the  Huachucas  it  was  rather  locally  distributed,  clinging  in  small 
flocks  to  the  same  favorite  localities  as  long  as  it  remained  in  this  region. 
The  earliest  date  at  which  any  were  seen  was  March  14,  and  they  dis- 
appeared soon  after  the  middle  of  April. 

Ammodramus  sandwichensis  alaudinus  (Bonaparte),    Western  Savanna 
Sparrow. 
Very  rare.    On  March  29,  1902,  I  shot  one  on  the  plains  a  few  miles 
from  the  mountains,  moulting  so  badly  that  I  did  not  save  it.     This  is 
the  only  one  I  have  seen  in  this  region. 

Coturniculus  bairdi  (Audubon).     Baird  Sparrow. 

This  species  proved  to  be  exceedingly  abundant  in  the  spring,  on 
all  parts  of  the  plain  below  the  Huachucas ;  even  coming  up  into  the 
mouths  of  the  canyons  in  places  where  the  ground  was  open  and  free 
from  trees.  Possibly  a  few  remain  through  the  winter  as  I  took  a  speci- 
men on  February  17,  1903;  but  no  more  were  seen  until  nearly  the  mid- 
dle of  March,  when  they  became  quite  abundant,  remaining  so  until  the 
end  of  April,  when  they  rather  abruptly  disappeared,  May  3,  being  the 
latest  date  on  which  any  were  seen.  I  found  them  difficult  to  shoot  at 
all  times,  running  through  the  grass  and  seldom  taking  wing  when  it 
could  be  avoided  ;  and  their  colors  harmonize  so  well  with  the  surround- 
ings that  they  were  by  no  means  easy  to  catch  sight  of.  None  were 
observed  singing  at  any  time,  nor  were  any  seen  in  pairs ;  they  were  not 
at  all  gregarious,  and  though  abundant,  nearly  all  that  were  seen  were 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  39 

single  birds.  If  more  than  one  was  seen  at  a  time  they  made  no  effort 
to  keep  together  when  startled,  but  usually  went  in  different  directions. 
Specimens  taken  the  third  week  in  April  were  undergoing  a  slight  moult, 
usually  restricted  to  the  chin,  throat  and  upper  breast.  In  such  as  have 
completed  this  change,  the  plumage  of  these  parts  is  of  a  decidedly  more 
buffy  hue  than  in  those  taken  earlier  in  the  season,  in  which  it  is  gen- 
erally almost  pure  white.  Aside  from  this,  almost  the  only  variation  in 
the  specimens  collected  is  in  the  markings  of  the  pileum ;  in  some  the 
dark  streakings  being  destricted  almost  entirely  to  the  sides,  leaving  a 
broad,  well  defined,  median  line  of  buff",  while  others  have  the  whole 
crown  almost  equally  streaked  with  dusky. 

Cotumiculus  savannarum  bimaculatus  (Swainson).  Western  Grasshop- 
per Sparrow. 
A  rare  migrant.  In  1902  I  secured  a  female  on  March  31st,  and  a 
pair  on  April  4th ;  the  following  year  a  male  was  taken  on  April  5th. 
These  were  all  shot  in  a  field  at  the  base  of  the  mountains,  about  4500 
feet,  altitude,  and  are  all  that  I  have  seen  in  this  regoin. 

Chondestes  grammacus  strigatus  (Swainson).  Western  Lark  Sparrow. 
This  species  proved  to  be  an  exceedingly  abundant  summer  resi- 
dent in  the  washes  below  the  mountains,  arriving  about  the  middle  of 
April.  Though  so  common  along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  I  never  met 
with  any  above  the  very  entrance  of  the  canyons. 

Zonotrichia  leucophrys  (Forster).     White-crowned  Sparrow. 

I  found  this  species,  together  with  gamheli,  very  abundant  along 
the  San  Pedro  River  during  the  latter  part  of  March  and  throughout 
April,  but  they  appeared  in  the  Huachucas  in  but  very  limited  numbers 
The  first  seen  in  the  mountains  were  secured  on  April  7th,  and  a  few 
others  were  observed  at  various  times  up  to  May  13th,  when  a  pair  of 
birds  were  shot,  none  being  detected  above  5000  feet.  Most  of  the  speci- 
mens taken  early  in  May  show  more  or  less  traces  of  moult  on  the  head, 
throat,  and  dorsum. 

Zonotrichia  leucophrys  gambeli   (Nuttall).     Intermediate  Sparrow. 

Very  rare  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains,  though,  as  I  before  indicated, 
more  abundant  along  the  valley  of  the  San  Pedro.  Even  there,  how- 
ever, it  is  outnumbered  by  true  leucophrys  two  to  one,  and  the  only 
positive  record  I  have  of  its  occurrence  in  the  mountains  is  one  immature 
female  taken  March  24,  1903. 

Spizella  socalis  arizonae  Coues.    Western  Chipping  Sparrow. 

This  species  probably  remains  in  the  Huachucas  through  the  winter, 
for  on  my  arrival  in  the  mountains  on  February  17,  1903,  I  found  large 
flocks  of  Chipping  Sparrows  everywhere  in  the  oak  region,  and  they 
remained  in  the  greatest  abundance  all  spring.  Though  not  breeding  in 
this  region  they  remain  very  late,  being  abundant  up  to  the  first  of  May; 
and  I  saw  some  as  late  as  May  15.  In  1902  they  appeared  in  the  fall 
about  the  first  of  August,  and  were  soon  quite  abundant,  though  not  as 
much  so  as  in  the  spring.  All  that  were  seen  at  this  time  were  adults  in 
very  worn  plumage,  many  of  them  ragged  and  moulting.  None  were 
seen  at  a  higher  altitude  than  5000  feet. 

Spizella  breweri  Cassin.     Brewer  Sparrow. 

Occurring  in  company  with  the  Chipping  Sparrow  in  the  spring,  but 
in  much  smaller  numbers,  and  leaving  at  rather  an  earlier  date.  I  saw 
none  in  August  or  September  up  to  the  time  I  left  the  mountains. 


40  PACIFIC   COAST    AVrFAtJNA.  fNo.  4. 

Spizella  atrogularis   (Cabanis).     Black-chinned  Sparrow. 

On  April  4,  1902,  I  heard  a  Black-chinned  Sparrow  singing  on  a 
steep  hill-side  near  our  camp.  The  bird  was  not  seen,  buj  the  loud 
characteristic  song  was  kept  up  for  some  time,  and  I  know  of  no  other 
species  in  this  region  with  a  note  at  all  like  it.  Some  ten  days  previous 
to  this  I  saw  and  heard  several  in  the  foothills  of  the  Santa  Catalina 
Mountains,  near  Tucson,  so  I  do  not  think  I  could  have  been  mistaken. 
This  is  the  only  occasion  on  which  I  have  had  any  indications  of  the 
presence  of  this  species  in  the  Huachucas,  and  it  must  be  of  rare  occur-^ 
rence  there. 

Junco  hyemalis  (Linnaeus).     Slate-colored  Junco. 

Occurs  in  limited  numbers  in  the  winter  in  company  with  caniceps. 
mcarnsi  and  thurberi.  I  took  but  four  specimens  all  told ;  two  males 
taken  on  February  i8  and  24,  respectively,  and  a  male  and  female  taken 
on  March  24,  all  in  1903.  Possibly  three  or  four  others  were  seen ;  none 
being  observed  at  a  higher  altitude  than  5500  feet. 

Junco  hyemalis  shufeldti  Coale.     Shufeldt  Junca. 

I  have  three  Juncos  from  this  region,  two  males  and  a  female,  which 
Mr.  Ridgway  has  identified  as  belonging  to  this  race.  These  were  all 
taken  at  a  low  altitude  in  flocks  composed  of  the  various  species  of  junco 
wintering'  in  the  mountains,  and  though  these  were  all  the  specimens 
secured  they  may  have  been  fairly  abundant,  being  associated  with 
thurberi  as  thev  were;  for  the  two  races  are  bv  no  means  easv  to  dier- 
entiate,  even  where  specimens  are  secured,  and  in  the  field  it  is  prac- 
tically impossible  to  do  so. 

Junco  hyemalis  thurberi  Anthony.    Thurber  Junco. 

As  this  bird  is  usually  listed  as  a  mere  straggler  in  Arizona,  I  was 
surprised  at  finding  it  as  numerous  as  it  was  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains 
during  February  and  March,  1903.  At  this  time  it  was  probably  the 
most  abundant  species  of  junco  in  the  mountains,  being  particularly 
numerous  in  the  oak  regions  below  5500  feet,  and  occurring  in  limited 
numbers  up  to  the  highest  parts  of  the  range.  On  February  21,  I  saw 
a  few  on  the  divide  of  the  mountain  at  about  9000  feet.  After  the  middle 
of  March  they  began  to  disappear,  and  after  the  first  of  April  but  an 
occasional  small  bunch  of  half  a  dozen  or  so  was  seen,  the  last  observed 
being  on  April  19.  Specimens  secured  differ  in  no  wise  from  birds  in  my 
collection  taken  in  various  parts  of  Southern  California. 

Junco  meamsi  Ridgway.    Pink-sided  Junco. 

I  found  this  species  quite  common  during  February  and  March,  1903, 
occurring  in  the  large  flocks  composed  of  the  various  species  of  juncos 
that  were  in  the  mountains  at  the  time ;  but  restricted  almost  entirely 
to  the  lowest  part  of  the  range,  no  si^ecimens  of  mcarnsi  being  taken 
above  5500  feet.  Though  not  as  abundant  as  some  of  the  other  species, 
it  was  fairly  numerous  up  to  the  third  week  in  March,  all  that  were  seen 
after  that  being  an  occasional  stray  bird,  usually  in  a  small  flock  of  can- 
iceps, which  lingers  in  this  region  longer  than  any  of  the  other  non-resi- 
dent species  of  juncos.  The  last  Pink-sided  Junco  seen  was  a  female 
shot  on  April  15.  In  the  specimens  secured  there  is  considerable  varia- 
tion, particularly  in  the  females,  in  the  shade  of  pink  of  the  sides,  and  the 
area  covered  by  it ;  in  some  this  color  extending  far  up  on  the  sides  of  the 
neck,  or  meeting  across  the  breast. 


April   1904]        BIRDS  OP  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  4I 

Junco  caniceps  (Woodhouse).    Gray-headed  Junco. 

A  winter  resident,  very  abundant  in  the  oak  regions,  and  to  a  lesser 
extent  in  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains,  remaining  until  about  the  end 
of  April.  In  February  and  the  early  part  of  March  it  was  outnumbered 
bv  thurberi,  but  as  that  species  decreased  in  numbers  caniceps  became 
more  in  evidence,  though  probably  not  really  increasing  in  numbers.  Up 
to  the  middle  of  April  the  Gray-headed  Junco  was  still  fairly  abundant, 
though  in  smaller  flocks  than  before,  and  often  found  at  a  considerably 
higher  altitude  than  that  frequented  earlier  in  the  season.  I  took  sev- 
eral specimens  as  high  as  9000  feet,  and  they  may  have  been  more  numer- 
ous than  I  supposed,  for  those  secured  were  usually  in  company  with  the 
Arizona  Junco  (/.  p.  palliatus)  and  it  is  not  easy  to  distinguish  between 
the  two  species  in  life.  I  took  specimens  on  various  occasions  toward 
the  end  of  April,  and  have  one  shot  as  late  as  May  2  (1896).  A  small 
percentage  of  specimens  of  both  sexes  have  more  or  less  chestnut  on  the 
crown,  of  the  same  color  as  the  back,  usually  in  the  shape  of  a  few  dis- 
connected spots  but  occasionally  covering  nearly  the  whole  of  the  crown. 
There  is  also  considerable  variation  in  the  color  of  the  tertials,  which, 
usually  edged  with  pale  gray  or  having  the  whole  outer  web  of  that  color, 
are  in  about  a  third  of  the  specimens  collected,  broadly  edged  with  pale 
brown. 

Four  specimens  were  secured  which  are  probably  hybrids  between 
caniceps  and  mearnsi  (J.  annectens  of  Professor  Baird,  and  /.  ridgwayi 
of  Dr.  Mearns).  These  were  all  taken  in  March,  1903,  two  males  the 
7th  and  I2th,  and  two  females  on  the  13th  and  14th.  respectively.  Three 
of  these,  a  male  and  two  females,  resemble  each  other  very  closely,  and 
?fe  Dracticalb'  like  average  examples  of  caniceps  but  with  more  or  less 
pink  on  the  sides  and  flanks.  The  fourth  specimen,  a  male  taken  March 
12,  is  quite  different  from  these  and  has  apparently  just  undergone  a  com- 
plete moult,  for  there  are  pin  feathers  scattered  over  the  body,  three  of 
tl-'e  rectric'^'s  have  not  vet  ptt-^ined  their  full  length,  and  over  the  entire 
plumage  there  is  a  gloss  and  bloom  only  present  in  newly  acquired 
plumage.  The  head  and  throat  are  darker  than  is  the  case  in  either 
caniceps  or  mearnsi,  there  is  considerable  pink  on  the  sides  and  flanks, 
pnd  the  lower  parts  from  the  breast  to  the  anal  region  are  dirty  bufif,  the 
only  pure  white  feathers  being  the  under  tail  coverts.  The  interscapular 
region  is  dark  chestnut  obscured  throughout  by  a  dusky  wash ;  the 
greater  wing  coverts  are  reddish  brown,  and  the  outer  web  of  the  tertials 
is  broadly  margined  with  the  same. 

All  four  of  tbfse  birds  in  general  appearance  resemble  caniceps 
much  more  closelv  than  thev  do  mearnsi. 

Junco  phaenotus  palliatus  Ridpfway.     Arizona  Junco. 

An  abundant  resident,  and  one  with  which,  apparently,  the  seasons 
make  but  little  difference,  for  not  only  does  it  refrain  from  going  further 
south  at  the  advent  of  cold  weather,  but  I  could  discern  little  evidence 
of  any  vertical  migration  either.  During  February  and  March  I  found 
the  non-resident  species  of  j uncos  together  in  large  flocks  throughout 
the  oak  reeion.  but  I  never  once  took  a  specimen  of  palliatus  in  any  of 
these  mixed  gatherings.  Even  in  the  coldest  weather  I  never  saw  one 
below  5500  feet,  and  they  were  most  abundant  above  7500  feet ;  usually  in 
small  bunches  of  six  or  eie-ht,  occasionallv  witht  a  strav  caniceps  includ- 
ed in  the  flock,  but  usuallv  by  themselves.  They  are  at  all  times,  winter 
and  summer,  most  abundant  along  the  divide  of  the  mountains,  from 
8500  to  10,000  feet,  altitude,  and  the  only  appreciable  difference  in  their 


42  PACIFIC   COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No    4 

distribution  at  the  different  seasons,  is  that  up  to  the  end  of  March  they 
are  fairly  abundant  between  5500  and  6500  feet,  while  but  very  few  breed 
at  so  low  an  altitude.  They  begin  to  pair  off  about  the  first  week  in 
April ;  on  April  25  I  shot  a  female  which  had  laid  part  of  its  set,  while  the 
latest  nest  I  have  seen  was  one  containing  three  badly  incubated  eggs, 
on  July  30.  The  nest  is  usually  built  upon  the  ground,  under  a  bunch 
of  grass,  a  log,  or,  as  I  have  occasionally  found  it,  under  a  flat  stone ;  but 
this  is  not  invariably  the  case,  as  I  have  known  one  or  two  instances  of 
its  being  placed  in  some  thick  shrubbery,  a  drooping  pine  limb,  or  a 
young  fir,  a  foot  or  two  above  the  ground.  The  Arizona  Junco  is  much 
more  arboreal  in  its  habits  in  general  than  any  other  of  the  genus  that  T 
have  come  in  contact  with,  and  on  several  occasions  specimens  were  shot 
from  the  topmost  branches  of  the  pines,  fluttering  about  like  warblers, 
for  which  I  mistook  them,  and  from  their  actions  apparently  in  search 
of  insect  food.  In  the  spring  the  male  bird  frequently  ascends  high  in 
the  tree  tops,  and  sits  there  motionless,  uttering  his  short  song  at  fre- 
quent intervals ;  and  two  or  more  may  often  be  seen  pursuing  one  an- 
other through  the  trees,  seldom  descending  to  the  ground  at  such  times. 
About  the  middle  of  June  the  young  birds  in  the  spotted  plumage  begin 
to  appear,  and  all  through  July  they  are  quite  numerous,  often  two  or 
more  broods  running  together,  accompanied  by  the  various  parents. 
The  young  birds  are  at  this  time  heavily  streaked  above  and  below, 
though  less  on  the  throat  and  abdomen  than  elsewhere,  the  bill  is  uni- 
formly black,  and  the  iris  brown.  The  dark  streakings  are  confined 
principally  to  the  tips  of  the  feathers,  and,  as  the  soft  juvenile  plumage 
wears  away  very  rapidly,  those  birds  which  have  nearly  attained  their 
full  size  have  these  markings  much  more  faintly  indicated  than  those 
which  have  just  left  the  nest.  Specimens  taken  late  in  July,  nearly  ready 
to  discard  the  juvenile  plumage,  have  the  dorsum  nearly  uniform  red,  as 
in  the  adults  though  much  paler;  and  the  dark  streaks  of  the  lower  parts 
restricted  almost  entirely  to  the  upper  breast.  As  the  bird  becomes  older 
the  iris  gets  paler,  changing  from  brown  to  whitish,  then  to  pale  yellow, 
and  finally,  about  the  time  the  juvenile  plumage  is  shed,  to  the  bright 
yellow  of  the  adult  bird.  At  the  same  time  the  lower  mandible  is  grad- 
ually becoming  paler  than  the  upper,  the  change  in  this  respect  as  well  as 
in  the  iris,  being  completed  about  the  time  the  adult  plumage  is  assumed. 
The  juvenile  plumage  is  shed  in  August,  at  tbe  same  time  that  the  adults 
are  undergoing  their  post-nuptial  moult ;  specimens  secured  on  Septem- 
ber 2  being  hardly  distinguishable  from  adults,  and  wijh  but  a  few  faint 
spots  remaining  on  the  breast,  sides  of  the  head,  and  scapulars.  The 
scapulars  seem  to  retain  the  juvenile  markings  the  longest,  and  I  have 
one  specimen,  a  female,  presumably  of  the  previous  year,  taken  on  April 
4,  in  which  not  only  the  scapulars,  but  the  greater  wing  coverts  also,  are 
tipped  with  dusky,  and  there  are  one  or  two  faint  spots  on  the  red  of  the 
dorsum  as  well.  An  adult  male  taken  September  2,  has  not  quite 
completed  the  moult,  some  of  the  rectrices  having  not  yet  acquired  their 
growth ;  and  is  practically  indistinguishable  from  specimens  taken  in 
February,  the  principal  difference  being  in  the  softer  more  blended  ap- 
pearance of  the  plumage. 

In  the  specimens  collected  there  is  some  difference,  mamly  seasonal, 
in  the  intensity  of  the  red  of  the  back,  those  taken  in  February  and 
March,  having  the  color  obscured  by  grayish  edgings  to  the  feathers. 
In  a  number  of  cases  there  is  more  or  less  admixture  of  grayish  in  the 
red  of  the  scapulars  and  greater  wing  coverts,  these  parts  occasionally 
being  almost  entirely  gray.     In  the  tertials  also  there   is   considerable 


April  1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  43 

variation,  from  those  in  which  the  outer  web  is  gray  with  hardly  a  trace 
of  red,  through  every  stage  to  those  in  which  they,  together  with  the 
scapulars  and  greater  coverts,  are  uniform  with  the  back.  All  the  speci- 
mens secured  have  the  bright  yelow  iris  of  palUatiis,  and  I  took  none 
but  what  are  referable  to  that  race  rather  than  dorsalis,  though  the  latter 
might  be  expected  to  occur  in  this  region  in  the  winter.  Intergradation 
between  the  two  races  might  be  indicated  by  the  varying  extent  of  the 
red  areas  of  the  upper  parts  in  the  specimens  of  palliatus  secured. 

In  just  one  specimen,  a  female,  is  there  any  indication  of  red  on  the 
crown,  but  whereas  in  caniceps,  where  it  is  fairly  common,  such  a  mark- 
usually  takes  the  form  of  a  more  or  less  connected  patch,  in  this  case  it 
is  a  well  defined  line  over  each  eye. 

Amphispiza  bilineata  deserticola  Ridgway.     Desert  Sparrow. 

Breeds  in  the  greatest  abundance  in  the  valley  of  the  San  Pedro 
River,  where  it  is  probably  resident  the  year  through.  It  appears  in 
limited  numbers  in  the  foothills  of  the  Huachucas  for  a  short  time  in 
the  spring,  from  the  end  of  March,  to  about  the  end  of  April ;  and  though 
I  have  seen  none  during  the  breeding  season,  toward  the  end  of  July 
small  flocks  were  frequently  met  with,  usually  composed  of  a  single 
family:  the  two  parent  birds  and  three  or  four  juveniles. 

Aimophila  cassini  (Woodhouse).     Cassin  Sparrow. 

When  I  reached  the  Huachuca  Mountains  at  the_end  of  March,  1902, 
I  found  this  species  scattered  in  small  numbers  along  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  and  took  several  specimens  during  the  first  week  in  April. 
At  the  middle  of  April  it  was  fairly  abundant  along  the  San  Pedro  River, 
being  generally  found  in  the  tall  grass :  and  in  June,  O.  W.  Howard 
found  several  nests  in  the  valley,  some  ten  miles  from  the  mountains, 
that  probably  belong-  to  this  species,  though  none  were  positively  identi- 
fied. About  the  middle  of  March  of  the  same  year  I  took  several  speci- 
mens in  the  foothills  of  the  Santa  Catalina  Mountains,  near  Tucson. 

It  seems  rather  irregular  in  its  occurrence,  for  in  1903.  there  were 
none  to  be  found  in  places  where  it  was  fairly  abundant  the  previous 
year;  and  the  only  one  seen  was  a  single  bird  at  the  base  of  the  Hua- 
chucas, on  May  14th. 

Aimophila  ruficeps  scotti  (Seftnett)..     Scott  Sparrow. 

This  species  proved  to  be  an  abundant  resident  in  the  Huachucas, 
particularly  favoring  those  parts  of  the  foothills  which,  having  but  little 
brush,  are  covered  with  tall  erass  and  a  scattering  growth  of  live-oaks. 
Though  most  abundant  in  the  foothills  below  five  thousand  feet,  they 
seemed  afifected  more  by  environment  than  altitude,  and  were  found 
throughout  the  mountains,  in  all  suitable  places,  quite  up  to  the  divide 
of  the  range.  They  were  almost  invariably  seen  in  pairs,  occasionally 
but  rarely,  two  pair  being  together  .  Specimens  collected  vary  consid- 
erably in  color.  This  variation  is  seasonal  to  a  great  extent,  for  birds 
taken  in  February  and  March  have  the  colors  of  the  upper  parts  ob- 
scured by  the  grayish  edgings  to  the  feathers ;  but  aside  from  this,  and 
irrespective  of  sex,  some  are  much  paler  than  others.  It  is  only  those 
taken  late  in  the  summer,  in  July  and  August,  in  very  abraded  plumage, 
that  have  the  rufons  of  the  crown  clearly  defined  and  unmixed  with  other 
colors. 


44  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.   4 

Melospiza  lincolni  (Audubon).     Lincoln  Sparrow. 

This  species  is  usually  fairly  abundant  in  the  spring,  frequenting 
damp  shady  places  in  the  canyons  up  to  an  altitude  of  6200  feet.  In  1902 
I  found  it  in  the  mountains  when  I  arrived  at  the  end  of  March,  remain- 
ing until  about  the  midle  of  May;  but  in  1903  the  first  did  not  arrive 
until  May  9,  and  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  were  seen  altogether. 

Pipilo  maculatus  megalonyx  (Baird).     Spurred  Towhee. 

A  common  resident  in  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains,  descend- 
ing, along  the  canyons,  as  low  as  5500  feet,  but  most  abundant  from  7500 
feet  upward.  During  the  breeding  season  a  more  restricted  area  is  oc- 
cupied than  at  other  times ;  for  after  the  young  birds  begin  to  appear, 
about  the  middle  of  July,  they  scatter  over  the  mountains,  and  are  more 
abundant  in  the  lower  canyons  than  before,  but  at  all  times  their  num- 
bers are  greater  along  the  divide  of  the  mountains,  in  the  pines,  than 
elsewhere. 

Pipilo  fuscus  mesoleucus  (Baird).    Canyon  Towhee. 

Occurs  in  limited  numbers  along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  favor- 
ing the  more  barren  foothill  region  rather  than  the  canyons,  where  it  is 
frequently  seen  in  company  with  Aimophila  riiilceps  scotti.  It  is  far 
more  abundant  along  the  San  Pedro  River  than  I  have  found  it  any- 
where in  the  Huachucas. 

Oreospiza  chlorura  (Townsend).     Green-tailed  Towhee. 

A  common  migrant,  frequenting  the  lower  canyons  up  to  an  alti- 
tude of  about  6000  feet.  In  1902  the  earliest  arrival  noted  in  the  Hua- 
chucas was  on  April  2,  though  I  saw  some  near  Tucson,  in  the  Santa 
Catalina  Mountains  at  the  middle  of  March.  They  were  fairly  abundant 
throughout  April,  and  up  to  the  middle  of  May;  reappearing  in  the  fall 
on  September  ist.  In  1903  the  Green-tailed  Towhee  were  very  late  in 
arriving,  the  first  seen  being  on  May  6th ;  the  last  noted,  on  May  22nd. 
At  this  time  all  that  were  seen  were  in  the  washes  issuing  from  the  can- 
yons, specimens  being  taken  a  mile  or  more  from  the  mountains.  A  male 
bird,  presumably  of  the  previous  year,  taken  on  May  8,  1903,  has  hardly 
a  trace  of  the  rufous  crown,  and  is  generally  of  a  duller  color  and  with 
the  markings  less  sharply  defined  than  in  the  fully  adult  bird.  An  im- 
mature female,  taken  September  i,  1902,  has  the  rufous  crown  obscured 
by  dusky  tips  to  the  feathers,  and  the  whole  of  the  upper  parts  suffused 
with  a  brownish  wash. 

Zamelodia  ludoviciana  (Linnaeus).     Rose-breasted  Grosbeak. 

I  have  in  my  possession  a  male  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak  collected  by 
R.  D.  Lusk  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains,  on  June  29,  1894.  From  the 
date  at  which  it  was  taken  it  would  almost  seem  as  if  it  was  a  breeding 
bird,  though  I  doubt  very  much  that  that  was  the  case.  This  species  is 
undoubtedly  of  extremely  rare  occurrence  in  this  region  ;  I  have  never 
met  with  it  myself  nor  do  I  know  of  any  other  specimens  secured  in  the 
mountains. 

Zamelodia  melanocephala  (Swainson).     Black-headed  Grosbeak. 

This  species  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  and  conspicuous  of  the 
breeding  birds  of  this  region,  and  during  the  summer  months  the  loud, 
ringing  song  of  the  male  bird  can  be  heard  in  all  parts  of  the  mountains. 
They  arrive  in  April,  in  1902  the  first  being  seen  on  April  20th,  and  the 
following  year  on  April  28th ;  and  though  the  first  arrivals  soon  set  to 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA  45 

work  at  their  housekeeping,  migrating  birds  were  taken  up  to  the  end 
of  May.  It  is  rather  singular  that  though  in  California  this  species  is 
most  abundant  in  the  willow  regions  of  the  low  lands,  here  it  is  pre- 
eminently a  bird  of  the  higher  mountains,  and,  even  during  the  migra- 
tions, of  very  rare  occurrence  in  the  lower  valleys.  During  the  summer 
it  is  rnost  abundant  in  the  highest  parts  of  the  mountains,  .seldom  breed- 
ing below  6000  feet ;  but  soon  after,  the  young  leave  the  nest  a  down- 
ward movement  is  begun,  and  up  to  the  middle  of  August  these  Gros- 
beaks fairly  swarm  in  some  of  the  lower  canyons,  young  and  old  gather- 
ing together  in  enormous,  though  loose  and  straggling  flocks.  They 
have  a  bad  name  with  the  fruit  growers  of  this  region,  who  destrov  thf^m 
without  mercy,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  they  are  very  destructive  to 
the  fruit,  descending  on  the  orchards  in  large  flocks,  and  ruining  much 
besides  what'  they  eat.  A  series  of  eighteen  male  birds  from  the  Hua- 
chuca  Mountains  shows  considerable  variation  in  color  and  markings, 
but  the  most  highly  plumaged  specimens  have  the  lower  parts  darker 
than  any  California  birds  in  my  possession,  with  rather  more  black  on 
the  chin  and  throat.  A  well  defined  tawny  postocular  stripe  is  present 
in  many  instances,  and  even  in  most  perfectly  marked  early  spring  speci- 
mens it  is  usually  indicated  by  rusty  tips  to  the  feathers  of  those  parts 
which  are  lost  by  abrasion  at  a  later  date ;  so  that  it  is  really  only  late 
summer  specimens  in  worn  plumage  that  have  the  head  solid  black  with- 
out any  appearance  of  these  markings.  One  bird,  otherwise  as  bright- 
colored  and  highly  marked  as  any  collected,  has  the  black  of  the  head 
divided  by  a  broad,  well  defined  median  stripe  reaching  quite  to  the  bill, 
while  the  postocular  stripe  is  continued,  narrowly  but  sharply  defined, 
over  the  eye  to  the  nostril.  Several  specimens  taken  during  the  latter 
part  of  May  were  changing  from  the  dull,  immature  plumage  to  that  of 
the  adult ;  and  such  birds  are  variously  marked,  streaked  more  or  less 
underneath,  with  the  bright  new  black  and  white  wing  and  tail  feathers 
showing  conspicuously  against  the  old  dull  colored  ones,  and  blotches 
of  old  feathers  showing  on  various  parts  of  the  head  and  body.  This 
change  seems  to  be  accomplished  very  gradually,  however,  and  I  saw 
none  which  appeared  very  ragged  as  a  result  of  it.  It  is  noteworthy  that 
in  such  specimens  the  postocular  stripe  is  always  present,  more  or  less 
conspicuously,  so  that  it  is  possible  that  such  a  mark  is  to  some  extent 
a  mark  of  immaturity. 

The  male  birds  had  nearly  all  left  by  the  second  week  in  August ; 
and  such  as  were  taken  at  this  time  had  not  yet  commenced  to  moult 
their  summer  plumage,  though  in  many  instances  the  white  and  tawney 
edges  to  the  feathers  of  the  dorsum,  as  well  as  the  scapulars  and  tertials, 
had  worn  off  to  such  an  extent  as  to  leave  those  parts  almost  uniformly 
black  in  appearance.  By  the  middle  of  August  none  but  females  and  im- 
mature birds  remained,  and  these  gradually  disappeared,  until  by  the 
end  of  the  month  there  were  very  few  to  be  seen  of  any  age  or  sex. 

Guiraca  caerulea  lazula  (Lesson).     Western  Blue  Grosbeak. 

A  common  summer  resident  along  the  San  Pedro  River,  but  of  rare 
occurrence  in  the  Huachucas.  Several  times  during  August,  1902,  I 
thought  I  heard  the  note  of  the  Blue  Grosbeak  in  some  of  the  lower  can- 
yons but  never  secured  any.  I  have  seen  an  adult  male  taken  by  R.  D. 
Lusk  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains,  August  19,  1894. 

Cyanospiza  amoena  (Say).     Lazuli  Bunting. 

During  the  spring  migration  this  species  appears  in  the  Huachucas, 
not  in  great  numbers,  but  still  in  tolerable  abundance;  but  its  stay  is  an 


4<5  PACIFIC   COAST   AVIFAUNA.  [No.   4 

exceedingly  short  one,  more  so  than  any  other  of  the  migrating  species. 
In  1903  the  first  noted  was  on  April  14th  ;  for  about  a  week  they  were 
quite  plentiful,  and  then  abruptly  disappeared.  In  1902  I  observed  a  few 
along  the  San  Pedro  River  on  April  T7th ;  a  day  or  two  later  they  began 
to  appear  in  the  mountains,  and  by  the  third  week  in  April  had  all  gone 
on.  In  1896  I  saw  a  very  few  during  the  la§t  week  in  April.  They  re- 
appear at  a  very  early  date,  for  one  was  seen  on  July  22,  1902,  and  their 
numbers  increased  rapidly  throughout  August.  Though  at  all  times 
more  abundant  in  fairly  open  ground  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  moun- 
tains than  elsewhere,  I  have  occasionally  seen  them  far  up  the  canyons ; 
and,  particularly  in  the  spring,  have  known  them  to  ascend  to  as  high 
an  altitude  as  8000  feet.  At  such  times  they  were  generally  in  mixed 
flocks  of  migrating  warblers,  vireos,  etc. ;  and  fed  with  them  in  the  tree 
tops  rather  than  on  or  near  the  ground,  as  they  usually  do.  In  the  fall 
the  old  males  were  the  first  to  appear,  the  females  and  young  following 
later.  An  adult  male  taken  August  21st  has  renewed  many  of  the 
feathers  of  the  head  and  back,  but  for  the  rest  it  is  clothed  almost  entire- 
ly in  the  old  worn  breeding  plumage.  An  adult  female  taken  August 
nth  has  almost  entirely  renewed  the  plumage  of  the  upper  parts,  and 
has  many  new  feathers  scattered  over  the  throat,  breast  and  sides. 

Cyanospiza  ciris  (Linnaeus).     Painted  Bunting. 

On  July  12,  1902,  I  secured  a  male  bird  of  this  species,  which,  on 
dissection  appeared  to  be  an  adult,  thousrh  lacking  entirely  the  bright 
colors  of  the  old  male.  The  plumage  is  old  and  abraded,  the  upper  parts 
almost  uniform  dull  greenish,  while  the  lower  parts  are  yellowish 
with  a  tinge  of  green  on  the  throat  and  breast.  This  bird  was  taken  near 
the  mouth  of  a  canyon,  feeding  on  the  ground  under  some  live-oaks,  and 
another,  apparently  a  facsimile  of  the  one  secured,  was  seen  close  bv. 
Several  times  during  the  month  of  i\ugust  I  imagined  I  saw  others  in 
the  same  dull  plumage  in  the  flocks  of  amocna  which  were  abundant  at 
the  time,  but  no  more  were  secured  ;  and  it  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible, 
to  distinguish  with  any  degree  of  certainty,  the  immature  of  the  two 
species  while  flying  about. 

Calamospiza  melanocorys  Stejneger.     Lark  Bunting. 

The  only  place  in  this  region  where  T  have  found  the  Lark  Bunting 
really  abundant  is  below  Fort  Huachuca  along  the  edge  of  the  mes^ 
rising  from  the  Barbacomari  River.  I  have  occasionally  seen  scattered 
birds  along  the  base  of  the  Huachucas  elsewhere,  though  not  many,  but 
here  during  the  migrations  they  can  usually  be  found  in  considerable 
numbers.  I  saw  several  small  flocks  here  on  April  22,  1902,  and  secured 
a  male  which  had  nearly  acquired  the  nuptial  plumage.  The  lower  parts 
are  nearly  all  black,  and  the  plumage  of  the  wings  and  tail  has  been 
entirely  renewed,  but  a  good  many  old  feathers  remain,  scattered  over 
the  upper  parts,  and  a  single  pure  white  one  shows  conspicuously  against 
the  black  throat.  On  May  16,  1902,  I  saw  a  large  flock  and  several  single 
birds  on  the  Empire  Ranch,  some  twenty-five  miles  to  the  northward  of 
the  Huachucas,  the  latest  that  I  have  seen  any  in  this  region  in  the 
spring.  The  first  to  appear  in  the  fall  were  three  adult  males  which  I 
saw  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  on  August  loth  ;  while  on  September 
5th,  while  driving  to  the  railroad,  flocks  of  hundreds  were  seen  on  the 
plains  below  Fort  Huachuca,  all  moving  in  a  southerly  direction.  In 
these  flocks  none  were  seen  in  the  black  and  white  plumage  of  the  adult 
male,  so  that  either  the  old  males  had  gone  on  ahead,  or  had  already 
mmilted  their  summer  plumage. 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  47 

Piranga  ludoviciana  (Wilson).    Western  Tanager. 

Occasionally  during  the  summer  months  I  have  seen  Western  Tan- 
agers  in  some  of  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains,  so  they  probably 
breed  in  the  Huachucas,  though  in  very  limited  numbers.  They  are 
fairly  common  during  the  spring  migration,  the  first  noted  being  on 
April  26,  but  are  more  abundant  in  the  lower  oak  regions  than  elsewhere, 
going  in  flocks  of  ten  or  twelve,  often  in  company  with  the  Black-headed 
Grosbeaks.  Such  flocks  were  seen  throughout  May  and  early  in  June, 
after  which  they  disappeared,  except  for  the  stragglers  before  men- 
tioned, to  reappear  about  the  third  week  in  July,  rapidly  increasing  in 
numbers  from  then  on.  Throughout  August  they  remained  in  large 
flocks  composed  mostly  of  young  birds  and  females,  with  but  a  sprink- 
ling of  old  males,  and  their  favorite  food  at  this  time  seemed  to  be  the 
wild  cherries,  of  which  there  is  an  abundance  in  the  mountains. 

Piranga  hepatica  Swainson.     Hepatic  Tanager. 

A  fairly  common  summer  resident,  generally  distributed  over  the 
mountains  during  the  migration,  but  in  the  breeding  season  restricted 
more  to  the  canyons  between  5000  and  7500  feet.  In  1902  the  first  arrival 
was  noted  on  April  nth,  and  the  following  year  on  April  i6th ;  about  the 
middle  of  May  they  were  quite  abundant  in  the  higher  pine  regions, 
going  in  flocks  of  eight  or  ten,  feeding  in  the  tree  tops  and  but  seldom 
descending  to  the  ground.  The  male  birds  collected  vary  but  little  in 
shade  or  intensity  of  the  red  coloration,  except  that  late  summer  birds 
are  paler  and  duller  through  abrasion  of  the  plumage,  but  there  is  hardly 
one  that  does  not  show  some  greenish-yellow  feathers  somewhere  in  the 
plumage,  sometimes  but  a  scattered  feather  or  two,  and  sometimes  a 
conspicuous  patch  of  that  color.  Two  male  birds  secured  are  strikingly 
different  from  the  others  in  that  in  general  appearance  they  strongly 
resemble  the  female,  though  of  a  larger  size.  Possibly  this  is  an  imma- 
ture stage,  but  it  seems  to  be  of  rare  occurrence ;  and  one  of  these  two 
birds  was  taken  on  April  i6th,  the  first  of  the  species  to  arrive  for  the 
year,  which  is  rather  unusual  for  a  young  bird ;  while  the  other,  shot  on 
June  2,  1896,  was  a  breeding  bird.  The  first  mentioned  is,  in  coloration, 
a  facsimile  of  the  average  female,  but  the  other  diflfers  in  having  chin, 
throat,  and  jugulam,  bright  orange,  with  some  of  the  same  color  on  the 
anterior  portion  of  the  crown.  Females  vary,  principally  on  the  lower 
parts,  from  rather  bright  greenish-yellow  to  dark  olive-green  :  while  one 
from  the  Santa  Rita  Mountains  has  the  entire  under  parts,  including  the 
lower  tail  coverts,  and  excluding  the  flanks,  bright  orange-buff. 

A  young  bird  taken  August  26,  1902,  with  sex  undetermined  but 
probably  a  male,  for  it  is  larger  than  the  average  female,  is  still  in  the 
streaked  juvenile  plumage.  Chin,  throat,  breast  and  abdomen  are 
heavily  streaked  with  dusky,  while  the  crown,  dorsum,  rump  and  lower 
tail  coverts  are  more  faintly  marked  with  the  same.  A  few  greenish- 
yellow  feathers  are  beginning  to  appear  on  various  parts  of  the  body. 

Piranga  rubra  cooperi     Ridgway.     Cooper  Tanager. 

This  species  proved  to  be  of  very  rare  occurrence  in  the  mountains, 
during  the  migration ;  though  it  is  a  fairly  common  summer  resident 
along  the  San  Pedro  River.  I  have  met  with  it  in  the  Huachucas  on  but 
three  occasions;  a  male  bird,  secured  on  May  6,  1902,  at  an  altitude  of 
5700  feet,  which  is  probably  as  high  an  elevation  as  is  ever  reached  by 
this  species ;  and  two  females  taken  near  the  base  of  the  mountains  on 
May  3,  1902,  and  May  8,  1903,  resj)ectively. 


4^  PACIFIC   COAST    AVIFAUNA,  [No.  4 

Petrochelidon  lunifrons  (Say).     Cliff  Swallow. 

At  various  times  during  the  month  of  April  and  May  I  have  seen 
small  flocks  of  Cliff  Swallows  passing  overhead,  usually  flying  at  a  con- 
siderable height,  but  I  know  of  no  place  in  this  region  where  the  species 
breeds.  As  no  specimens  were  secured  it  is,  of  course,  possible  that  P. 
inelanogastra  was  also  seen,  and  it  may  be  that  all  that  were  observed 
belonged  to  that  species  rather  than  Itmifrons. 

Hirundo  erythrogastra    Boddaert.     Barn  Swallow. 

Though  the  Barn  Swallow  is  an  exceedingly  common  summer  resi- 
dent along  the  San  Pedro  River  and  in  the  low  lands  generally  in  this 
region,  I  have  seen  it  along  the  base  of  the  Huachucas  on  but  very  few 
occasions  during  the  migration. 

Tachycineta  thalassina  lepida  (Mearns).  Northern  Violet-green  Swal- 
low. 
A  fairly  abundant  summer  resident  in  the  higher  parts  of  the  range, 
breeding  from  7500  feet  upward,  but  most  numerous  along  the  divide  of 
the  mountain.  The  first  arrivals  were  noted  on  March  12,  1903,  a  small 
flock  flying  about  some  live  oaks  at  the  mouth  of  a  canyon,  but  they 
were  not  at  all  abundant  until  about  a  month  later.  Toward  the  end  of 
July,  1902,  after  the  young  were  out  of  the  nest,  they  moved  down  into 
the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains,  where  young  and  old  were  seen  to- 
gether in  large  flocks;  the  young  birds  being,  in  many  cases,  still  fed  by 
their  parents. 

Ampelis  cedrorum  (Vieillot).     Cedar  Waxwing. 

Probably  of  very  irregular  occurrence.  None  were  seen  either  in 
1896  or  1903,  but  in  the  spring  of  1902  they  were  fairly  abundant  in  the 
lower  canyons  up  to  an  altitude  of  6000  feet.  They  were  seen  through- 
out the  month  of  April,  the  last  observed  being  a  small  flock  on  May  6th. 

Phainopepla  nitens  (Swainson).     Phainopepla. 

Though  this  species  is  an  exceedingly  abundant  summer  resident  in 
the  lower  valleys  of  this  region,  it  does  not,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  breed 
anywhere  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains ;  but  appears  in  the  spring,  during 
the  migration,  in  limited  numbers  in  the  foothills.  About  the  end  of 
July,  1902,  a  movement  began  from  the  lower  valleys  up  into  the  moun- 
tains, and  during  August  the  Phainopeplas  were  most  numerous  through- 
out the  oak  region,  up  to  about  5000  feet.  At  this  time  they  were  in 
loose  straggling  flocks  of  from  six  to  a  dozen  birds,  young  and  old  to- 
gether, and  were  generally  seen  sitting  in  the  tree  tops  and  feeding  for 
the  most  part,  as  flycatchers. 

Lanius  ludovicianus  excubitorides   (Swainson).     White-rumped  Shrike. 

A  common  resident  throughout  the  brush-covered  valleys  and  low- 
lands generally,  breeding  occasionally  quite  up  to  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains. I  found  it  most  abundant  in  the  Huachucas,  though  even  then 
only  in  the  lowest  parts  of  the  foothill  region,  toward  the  end  of  the 
summer  from  the  last  week  in  July  through  the  month  of  August;  most 
of  the  birds  seen  being  young  of  the  year.  The  shrikes  of  this  region 
seem  to  be  rather  late  in  their  breeding,  compared  with  the  California 
birds. 

On'  March  21,  1903,  I  saw  eight  or  ten  birds  in  one  place  neir  the 
San  Pedro  River,  evidently  pairing  off;  the  males  sitting  on  the  tree 
tops  singing,  and  at  frequent   intervals  fighting  among  themselves  or 


April  1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZOXA.  49 

pursuing  the  females.  On  April  17,  1902,  several  nests  containing  from 
one  to  three  eggs  were  examined,  and  the  first  containing  a  full  set  was 
one  containing  six  eggs,  found  on  April  22nd.  An  immature  bird  taken 
on  July  26th,  is  still  to  a  great  extent  in  the  grayish  brown  vermiculated 
juvenile  plumage,  but  another,  shot  on  August  6th,  is  hardly  distinguish- 
able from  the  adult.  An  adult  male  taken  on  August  17th  has  almost 
completed  the  moult,  the  only  old  feathers  remaining  being  a  few  in  the 
wings  and  tail.     It  is  appreciably  darker  than  the  spring  specimens. 

Vireo  olivaceus  (Linnaeus).     Red-eyed  Vireo. 

I  have  an  adult  male  of  this  species  taken  in  the  Huachuca  Moun- 
tains by  R.  D.  Lusk  on  May  20,  1895.  It  is  probably  a  mere  straggler 
to  this  region. 

Vireo  gilvus  swainsoni  (Baird).     Western  Warbling  Vireo. 

A  very  common  migrant;  but  though  I  thought  it  possible  that  a 
few  might  remain  to  breed  in  these  mountains,  I  was  unable  to  detect 
any  during  the  breeding  season,  and  they  probably  go  further  north ; 
though  from  the  early  date  at  which  they  reappeared  in  the  fall  their 
breeding  ground  cannot  be  at  any  great  distance  to  the  northward.  The 
earliest  date  at  which  I  have  seen  this  species  in  the  spring  was  April 
21,  IQ02;  the  following  year  the  first  seen  was  on  April  30th.  They  were 
found  in  all  parts  of  the  mountains,  though  probably  most  abundant  in 
the  oak  region,  below  6000  feet,  and  remained  in  tolerable  abundance 
until  about  the  third  week  in  May.  They  reappeared  before  the  end  of 
July;  I  saw  several  on  July  27th,  and,  though  not  as  abundant  as  in  the 
spring,  they  were  to  be  found  all  through  the  oak  region  during  the 
month  of  August. 

Vireo  solitarius  cassini  (Xantus).     Cassin  Vireo. 

A  common  migrant,  found  throughout  the  mountains.  The  earliest 
arrival  noted  in  the  spring  was  on  April  9th,  and  the  last  seen  on  May 
22nd.  On  September  3,  1902,  I  saw  several  and  secured  two,  a  male  and 
a  female,  in  newly  acquired  autumnal  plumage. 

Vireo  solitarius  plumbeus  (Coues).     Plumbeous  Vireo. 

During  the  spring  migration  the  Plumbeous  Vireo  is  quite  abundant 
in  all  parts  of  the  mountains ;  and  at  this  time  I  took  several  specimens 
from  the  base  of  the  mountains  up  to  the  top  of  the  highest  peaks. 

During  the  summer  it  is  not  so  numerous,  though  still  a  fairly  com- 
mon bird,  and  the  breeding  birds  occupy  a  more  restricted  area,  being 
found  along  the  canyons,  from  6000  to  8000  feet.  In  1902,  the  first  seen 
was  on  May  6th;  in  1903,  one  was  secured. on  May  ist,  and  on  May  5th, 
one  was  seen  at  work  at  a  nest  which  was  already  well  started.  Speci- 
mens collected  show  considerable  variation  in  color,  and  though  I  took 
none  that  could  be  confused  with  cassini,  still  some  have  a  considerable 
admixture  of  greenish-yellow  on  the  sides  and  flanks ;  though  the  ma- 
jority have  those  parts  plain,  dark  plumbeous.  A  female  shot  on  May 
nth,  has  a  number  of  old,  worn  feathers  scattered  over  the  crown  and 
back  as  though  it  were  just  completing  a  moult. 

Vireo  huttoni  stephensi    Brewster.     Stephens  Vireo. 

Possibly  this  species  remains  in  the  Huachucas  Mountains  through.- 
out  the  winter,  but  I  am  inclined  to  doubt  it,  and  if  it  does  it  must  be  in 
very  limited  numbers.  I  secured  a  single  bird  as  early  as  February 
2oth,  but  no  more  were  seen  until  March  2nd,  when  another  was  taken ; 


50  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

about  the  middle  of  March  they  became  more  abundant,  though  not  a 
common  bird  at  any  time,  and  soon  after  the  middle  of  the  month  were 
already  in  pairs.  Upon  their  first  arival  they  were  found  mostly  in  the 
live  oaks  near  the  base  of  the  mountains,  but  the  breeding  range  seems 
to  lie  between  5000  and  7500  feet.  During  the  breeding  season  these 
vireos  were  very  quiet  and  inconspicuous,  and  were  most  easily  over- 
looked ;  but  after  the  middle  of  August  they  began  to  appear  in  con- 
siderable numbers,  and  were  more  abundant  at  this  time  than  at  any 
other.  Specimens  taken  the  middle  of  August  are  in  the  midst  of  the 
moult,  but  some  secured  the  first  week  in  September  have  nearly  com- 
pleted the  change.  Birds  taken  at  this  time  are  generally  rather  darker 
and  more  olivaceous  than  spring  specimens,  with  more  greenish-yellow 
on  the  edges  of  the  wing  and  tail  feathers.  Aside  from  these  seasonal 
differences  the  series  of  specimens  I  secured  here  shows  very  ilttle 
variation  in  color,  and  I  took  none  which  approach  huttoni  very  closely; 
but  I  have  a  male  specimen  of  huttoni  taken  at  Los  Angeles  on  Decem- 
ber 6th,  1898,  which  is  almost  indistinguishable  from  autumnal  examples 
of  stephensi;  being  quite  as  pale  in  coloration,  but  having  rather  more 
greenish-yellow  streakings  on  the  sides  and  flanks  than  is  the  case  with 
that  race.  The  bill  is  also  of  the  larger  size  which  distinguishes  the 
coast  race. 

Vireo  pusillus   Coues,    Least  Vireo. 

This  species  must  be  of  very  rare  occurrence  in  these  mountains, 
for  the  only  occasion  on  which  I  met  with  it  was  on  April  8,  1902,  when 
a  single  bird  was  seen,  but  not  secured,  in  a  live-oak  at  the  base  of  the 
mountains.  Along  the  San  Pedro  River  it  is  a  common  migrant,  and 
breeds  fairly  abundantly  in  suitable  places. 

Helminthophila  luciae  (Cooper).     Lucy  Warbler. 

From  April  8th  to  12th,  1902,  I  found  this  species  in  very  limited 
numbers,  in  company  with  virginiae,  gutturalis  and  lutescens,  in  some 
live-oaks  at  the  mouth  of  the  canyon  I  was  camped  in.  This  is  the  only 
occasion  on  which  I  have- found  it  in  the  Huachucas,  though  in  the  lower 
valleys  of  this  region  it  is  an  exceedingly  abundant  summer  resident. 
Along  the  San  Pedro  River  it  breeds  in  great  abundance,  and  O.  W. 
Howard  and  F.  C.  Willard  have  both  informed  me  that  in  this  region 
the  nest  is  frequently  placed  in  some  hole  or  depression  in  the  steep 
sides  of  the  "washes"  and  "draws"  which  intersect  the  country  draining 
to  the  river. 

Helminthophila  virginiae  (Baird).     Virginia  Warbler. 

This  species  proved  to  be  very  abundant  during  the  spring  migra- 
tion, particularly  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains ;  but  the  most  of 
them  seem  to  go  farther  north,  and  but  few,  compared  with  the  numbers 
seen  in  April  and  the  early  part  of  May,  remained  through  the  summer 
to  breed.  The  earliest  arrival  noted  was  on  April  loth  and  soon  after 
they  were  quite  abundant,  mostly  in  the  oak  region  below  5000  feet, 
remaining  so  throughout  April  and  up  to  the  first  week  in  May,  at  which 
time  the  migrating  birds  had  about  all  passed  on.  All  that  were  seen 
after  that  I  took  to  be  breeding  birds,  for  they  gradually  moved  to  a 
higher  altitude,  (6000  to  8000  feet)  and  were  nearly  all  in  pairs.  About 
the  middle  of  April,  1902,  I  found  a  few  virginiae,  together  with  other 
migrating  warblers,  in  the  willows  along  the  San  Pedro  River,  some 
fifteen  miles  from  the  mountains.     Throughout  the  summer  they  were 


April   1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  5I 

very  quiet  and  inconspicuous ;  I  once  or  twice  heard  the  male  bird  sing- 
ing from  some  elevated  position,  but  as  a  rule  they  kept  quietly  in  the 
underbrush,  close  to  the  ground,  and  were  most  easily  overlooked.  On 
Alay  20,  1903,  I  found  a  nest  about  half  finished,  which  on  the  29th 
contained  four  fresh  eggs.  It  was  built  on  a  steep  sidehill  about  ten 
feet  from  a  much  traveled  trail,  and  was  very  well  concealed ;  being 
under  a  thick  bunch  of  overhanging  grass,  and  sunk  into  the  ground  be- 
sides, so  as  to  be  entirely  hidden  from  view.  This  was  at  an  elevation 
of  about  8000  feet,  which  seems  to  be  about  the  upward  limit  for  this 
species  in  this  region.  About  the  middle  of  July,  yoimg  birds  began 
to  appear,  and  from  this  time,  young  and  old  moved  down  into  the  foot- 
hill region  once  more,  where  I  took  specimens  at  various  times  through 
the  month  of  August,  though  they  were  not  nearly  as  numerous  as  in" 
the  spring. 

In  the  spring  males  collected  there  is  great  variation  in  the  amount 
of  yellow  on  the  breast;  in  some  instances  it  extends  quite  to  the  bill, 
and  over  the  sides  of  the  breast,  while  in  some  few  it  is  restricted  to  a 
small,  faintly  indicated  spot.  Usually  the  yellow  is  restricted  to  the 
center  of  the  breast  and  lower  part  of  the  throat,  the  upper  throat  and 
chin  being  grayish  white;  and  even  in  the  brightest  colored  specimens 
there  is  a  more  or  less  well  defined  line  of  grayish  extending  across  the 
yellow  of  the  throat.  Just  one  spring  bird  shows  signs  of  moult  on  the 
chin  and  throat,  the  new  feathers  being  yellow,  the  old  ones  gray;  so 
possibly  it  is  the  older  birds  which  are  the  brightest  in  this  respect.  In 
some  females  the  yellow  marking  is  almost  entirely  absent,  while  in 
others  it  is  quite  bright,  more  so  than  in  some  of  the  duller  colored  males; 
and  in  the  females  the  chestnut  crown  patch  is  sometimes  present  and 
sometimes  not. 

An  adult  male  taken  August  i8th,  which  has  nearly  completed  the 
post-nuptial  moult,  has  the  upper  parts  clear  gray  with  but  very  little 
of  a  brownish  cast.  The  lower  parts  are  grayish,  strongly  tinged  with 
brown  on  the  sides  and  flanks,  while  the  yellow  of  the  breast  is  overcast 
with  grayish,  and  the  chin  and  throat  white,  tinged  with  yellowish  bufif. 
An  adult  female  taken  August  22nd,  in  newly  acquired  autumnal  plumage 
has  the  upper  parts  uniform  grayish  brown,  much  darker  than  the  male 
bird  just  described.  The  crown  patch  is  present  but  almost  entirely 
concealed  by  the  brownish  tips  of  the  feathers.  The  yellow  of  the  breast 
is  quite  as  extensive  as  in  many  spring  specimens,  but  overcast  with 
grayish  :  while  the  throat  and  median  line  of  the  abdomen  are  white  with 
a  decidedly  huffy  tinge,  the  sides  and  flanks  being  brownish.  A  very 
young  male  has  the  upper  parts  dull  grayish  brown,  the  breast,  sides  and 
flanks  a  rather  paler  shade  of  the  same,  while  the  chin,  throat  and  abdo 
men  are  a  dirty  white.  On  the  median  line  of  the  throat  and  on  each 
side  of  the  breast,  a  narrow  line  of  bufiFy  yellow  pin  feathers  is  appear- 
ing. A  female,  a  little  older,  has  the  entire  lower  parts  of  this  bufify 
yellow  hue,  a  spot  on  the  breast  being  almost  clear  yellow.  Another, 
with  sex  undertermined  but  probably  a  female,  is  about  the  same  but 
lacks  the  yellow  on  the  breast,  having  the  lower  parts  huffy  yellow  in- 
terrupted by  a  line  of  grayish  feathers  across  the  throat.  •  Two  young 
males  taken  at  a  later  stage  haVe  lost  much  of  the  bufify  hue  of  the  lower 
parts,  have  the  chin  and  throat  grayish  white,  the  yellow  of  the  breast 
quite  bright  and  well  defined,  and  are  losing  by  moult  the  plumage  of 
the  head,  upper  neck,  and  back,  replacing  it  with  a  plumage  more  like 
the  adult.     In  one  case  in  which  the  feathers  of  the  pileum  have  been 


52  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  .  [No.   4 

almost  completely  renewed,  there  is  still  no  sign  of  the  chestnut  crown 
patch  of  the  adult  bird.  It  is  rather  curious  that  in  all  these  juveniles 
the  yellowish  rump,  and  upper  and  lower  tail  coverts,  are  nearly  or  quite 
as  bright  as  in  the  adult. 

To  sum  up,  it  would  seem  that  on  leaving  the  nest  the  young  bird  is 
in  a  plumage,  grayish-brown  above,  on  the  breast  and  sides,  and  whitish 
on  throat  and  abdomen,  which  is  retained  but  a  very  short  time ;  a  moult 
of  the  lower  parts  taking  place  almost  immediately,  and  those  parts  be- 
coming a  more  or  less  uniform  buffy-yellow  from  the  bill  to  the  anal 
region.  A  little  later  the  plumage  of  the  upper  parts  is  moulted,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  bufify  breast  and  abdomen  changes  to  gr.ayish-white 
with  the  yellow  breast  spot.  Through  the  changes  the  rectrices  and  re- 
miges  are  retained  and  the  bird  is  now  much  like  the  autumnal 
adult,  though  lacking  the  chestnut  crown  patch,  which  possibly  is  not 
acquired  until  the  following  spring. 

Helminthophila  rubricapilla  guttiiralis  (Ridgway).  Calaveras  Warbler. 
Contrary  to  my  expectations  T  found  the  Calaveras  to  be  rather  a 
common  migrant  in  this  region,  and  in  the  spring  at  least,  occurring  in 
the  lowlands  as  well  as  in  the  mountains.  The  earliest  noted  in  the 
Huachucas  was  on  April  6th  and  the  last  seen  on  April  25th  ;  while  about 
the  middle  of  April  I  saw  several  in  the  willows  along  the  San  Pedro 
River.  In  the  spring  they  were  most  abundant  in  the  oaks  at  the  mouths 
of  the  canyons,  but  also  occurred  up  as  high  as  6500  feet.  They  re- 
appeared in  the  fall  on  August  i8th,  and  until  I  left,  September  5th,  were 
fairly  abundant,  but  frequented  rather  different  localities  than  in  the 
spring;  for  I  took  none  below  5500  feet,  and  they  were  most  abundant 
along  the  divide  of  the  mountain,  from  9000  to  10,000  feet,  where  they 
fed  mostly  in  the  flowers  and  weeds  which  had  sprung  up  from  the  sum- 
mer rains.  Both  adults  and  young  were  taken  at  this  time,  but  the  old 
birds  seemed  to  be  the  most  numerous. 

Helminthophila  celata  (Say).     Orange-crowned  Warbler. 

On  September  2,  1902,  I  secured  a  male  bird  of  this  species  from 
where  it  was  feeding  in  some  low  bushes  at  an  altitude  of  9000  feet.  The 
same  day  I  saw  several  more  apparently  the  same,  fluttering  in  and  out 
of  a  thick  patch  of  sunflowers,  but  was  unable  to  get  any  of  them.  The 
one  secured  is  a  facsimile  of  some  fall  birds  I  have  taken  in  Southern 
California,  with  the  head  very  gray,  grayish-white  orbital  ring,  and  the 
lower  parts  dull  greenish  yellow,  obscurely  streaked  with  grayish.  On 
April  17,  1902,  I  secured  a  female  in  some  willows  near  the  San  Pedro 
River  which  appears  to  be  of  this  species.  Allowing  for  the  greater 
abrasion  of  the  plumage,  it  is  practically  the  same  as  the  autumn  bird 
just  mentioned. 

Helminthophila  celata  lutescens    Ridgway.     Lutescent  Warbler. 

Although  I  found  the  Lutescen  Warbler  to  be  a  most  abundant 
migrant  in  the  spring  in  this  region,  I  took  but  few  specimens  which 
can  be  considered  as  typical  of  the  race ;  but  one  or  two,  in  fact,  which 
are  as  brightly  colored  as  Pacific  Coast  specimens.  The  greater  part  of 
those  secured  appear  to  be  intermediate  between  celata  and  lufsceus, 
but  nearer  the  latter  from  which  they  differ  principally  in  being  of  duller 
coloration. 

Although  I  have  seen  the  species  at  Tucson  in  the  middle  of  March, 
the  earliest  arrival  noted  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains  was  on  April  8th ; 
the  last  seen  on  May  5th. 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZQJMA.  53 

Dendroica  olivacea   (Giraud).     Olive  Warbler. 

I  have,  not  found  this  species  very  abundant  in  the  Huachucas  at 
any  time,  but  it  is  probably  resident  to  some  extent,  for  I  secured  an 
adult  male  on  February  21,  when  the  snow  was  deep  on  the  ground. 
During  March  I  saw  several  more,  all  adult  males  and  single  birds, 
usually  with  a  troop  of  Pygmy  Nuthatches ;  but  it  was  not  until  the  first 
of  April,  when  the  other  warblers  were  arriving,  that  they  became  at  all 
abundant.  In  1902,  they  were  few  in  numbers  and  I  did  not  get  many 
specimens,  in  fact  but  two  adult  males  were  observed ;  but  in  1903  they 
became  fairly  abundant,  particularly  in  April,  when  many  small  flocks 
of  five  or  six  birds  each,  were  seen.  I  found  them  only  in  the  pine  forests 
of  the  highest  parts  of  the  mountains,  even  in  cold  weather  none  being 
seen  below  8500  feet ;  and  more  were  secured  above  9000  feet  than  below 
it.  They  were  seldom  in  company  with  other  warblers,  but  when  not 
alone,  associated  with  nuthatches  and  creepers.  In  their  actions  they 
are  more  like  vireos  than  warblers,  clambering  slowly  and  deliberately 
over  the  branches  in  the  search  for  food  ;  and  uttering  at  frequent  inter- 
vals a  liquid  note  much  like  that  of  a  bluebird,  but  ventriloquial  in  its 
effect,  and  very  difficult  to  locate.  Though  frequenting  the  tree  tops  to 
a  great  extent,  they  seem  singularly  tame  and  unsuspicious,  and  several 
times  I  have  had  one  feeding  in  some  of  the  lower  branches,  within  arm's 
reach  of  me  without  it's  showing  the  least  sign  of  fear. 

The  male  birds  seem  to  take  at  least  two  years  in  acquiring  the  adult 
plumage,  being  indistinguishable  from  the  female  the  first  year,  and  I 
was  surprised  at  the  large  proportion  of  birds  in  this  immature  plumage 
that  were  seen.  At  a  very  liberal  estimate  I  should  say  that  the  males  in 
adult  plumage  comprised  barely  a  third  of  the  birds  seen  in  the  spring; 
while  in  the  late  summer,  when  the  flocks  of  juveniles  appeared  on  the 
scene,  the  proportion  of  perfect  plumaged  males  was,  of  course,  much 
smaller.  The  male  bird  breeds  in  the  immature  plumage,  for  on  June  21, 
1902,  I  assisted  Mr.  O.  W.  Howard  in  securing  a  nest,  containing  four 
eggs,  the  parents  of  which  were  indistinguishable  in  color  and  markings. 

About  the  middle  of  July  young  birds  began  to  appear,  and  through- 
out August  young  and  old  were  seen  together  in  small  flocks. 

Dendroica  aestiva  sonorana    Brewster.     Sonoran  Yellow  Warbler. 

A  common  summer  resident  along  the  San  Pedro  River.  It  is  possi- 
ble that  this  species  occasionally  breeds  in  the  Huachucas,  for  on  sev- 
eral occasions  about  the  middle  of  June,  1902,  I  saw  a  single  bird,  a 
female,  at  the  same  spot,  a  small  clump  of  willows  in  a  canyon  at  an 
altitude  of  about  5500  feet.  This  warbler  does  not  occur  in  the  moun- 
tains at  all  during  the  spring  migration,  but  in  August,  1902,  it  was 
fairly  abundant  up  to  6000  feet,  the  first  seen  being  on  August  9,  and 
most  of  those  observed  being  immature  birds.  An  adult  female  taken 
August  26th,  in  fresh  autumnal  plumage,  is  very  curiously  colored:  nor- 
m^illv  marked  below,  but  the  dark  olive-green  of  the  upper  parts,  wings 
and  tail,  irregularly  blotched  with  bright  yellow ;  so  that  in  the  char- 
acter of  coloration  it  closely  resembles  a  tame  canary. 

Dendroica  aestiva  brewsteri    Grinnell.     Western  Yellow  Warbler. 

From  May  8  to  19,  1903,  I  found  Yellow  Warblers  in  limited  num- 
bers in  some  of  the  washes  immediately  below  the  mountains.  At  the 
tim.e  I  took  them  to  be  sonorana,  but  the  nine  specimens  I  secured  ,five 
males  and  four  females,  prove  to  be  indistinguishable  from  California 
birds ;  and  were  probably  migrants  en  route  for  the  Pacific  Coast  to- 


54  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

ijether    with     D.   tozvnsendi,  D.  occidentalis,  Vireo  s.  cassini,    and    others 
passing-  throug-h  here  at  the  same  time, 

Dendroica  auduboni  (Townsend).     Audubon  Warbler. 

I  was  surprised  at  not  finding-  this  species  in  the  mountains  during- 
the  winter  months,  but  it  seems  to  occur  in  the  Huachucas  only  as  a 
migrant.  A  single  bird  was  seen  near  the  base  of  the  mountains  on 
March  6th,  but  he  was  much  in  advance  of  the  rest  of  his  tribe,  for  no 
more  were  seen  until  March  24th ;  after  which  they  steadily  increased  in 
numbers  until  the  end  of  April.  A  great  many  were  seen  in  the  pines  on 
the  top  of  the  mountain  on  May  11,  1903,  and  they  left  rather  abruptly 
about  a  week  later.  Though  distributed  over  all  parts  of  the  mountains, 
they  were  at  all  times  more  abundant  in  the  higher  pine  region,  than 
elsewhere;  and  on  April  24,  1903,  I  found  them  particularly  numerous 
along  the  divide  of  the  mountains,  evidently  migrating.  They  could 
hardly  be  said  to  be  in  flocks  on  this  occasion,  for  along  the  ridge,  which 
runs  almost  due  north  and  south,  there  was  for  several  miles  a  continu- 
ous Stream  of  Audubon  Warblers  travelling  rapidly  from  tree  to  tree, 
always  moving  in  a  northerly  direction ;  sometimes  a  dozen  or  more  in 
one  pine,  and  sometimes  only  two  or  three,  but  never  stopping  long  and 
all  moving  in  the  same  direction.  Almost  all  that  were  seen  on  this 
occasion  were  high  plumaged  males,  hardly  half  a  dozen  females  being- 
observed  for  the  day. 

Dendroica  auduboni  nigrifrons  (Brewster).     Black-fronted  Warbler. 

This,  the  only  form  of  audnbojn  that  breeds  in  the  Huachucas,  oc- 
curs during  the  summer  months,  though  in  rather  limited  numbers,  in 
the  higher  pine  regions  from  8500  feet  upwards.  On  one  occasion,  April 
5,.  1903,  I  secured  a  male  nigrifrons  from  a  flock  of  auduboni  feeding  in 
some  live-oaks  near  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  canyons  at  an  altitude  of 
about  4500  feet,  but  this  is  the  only  time  that  I  have  seen  it  below  the 
altitude  given  above ;  and  it  is  also  exceptional  in  the  early  date  of  its 
arrival.  No  more  were  seen  until  the  second  week  in  May,  which  seems 
nearer  the  usual  time  of  arrival,  for  in  1902,  the  first  seen  was  on  May 
9th.  A  young  bird  just  from  the  nest  was  secured  on  July  i,  1902,  and 
another  about  the  same  age  was  taken  on  July  13th.  A  young  male 
taken  August  19th,  which  has  discarded  the  streaked  juvenile,  for  the 
first  winter  plumage,  is  practically  indistinguishable  from  specimens 
of  auduboni  at  the  same  stage,  being  perhaps  a  shade  darker  throughout. 
In  two  adult  males,  taken  August  26th  and  August  30th,  respectively, 
which  have  practically  completed  the  postnuptual  moult,  the  black  of 
the  under  parts  is  quite  as  extensive  as  in  spring  birds,  but  obscured  by 
gray  tips  to  the  feathers.  In  one  the  feathers  of  the  back  are  much  as 
in  spring  birds,  though  with  rather  broader  gray  edgings  and  overcast 
with  a  faint  wash  of  brown ;  while  the  white  patch  formed  by  the  edgings 
and  tips  of  the  middle  and  greater  wing  coverts  is  nearly  perfect.  In  the 
other,  the  plumage  of  the  back  is  overcast  with  brown  to  such  an  extent 
that  hardly  a  trace  of  the  dark  centers  of  the  feathers  is  discernable, 
while  the  white  wing  patch  is  heavily  washed  with  the  same. 

Several  specimens  were  taken  intermediate  in  their  characteristics 
between  auduboni  and  nigrifrons;  some,  of  the  size  of  the  latter,  though 
in  color  but  little  darker  than  auduboni,  while  some  show  every  grada- 
tion of  color  between  the  two  extremes. 

In  the  darkest  specimens  of  nigrifrons  the  black  of  the  under  parts 
extends  from  the  yellow  throat  patch  to  the  flanks  uninterruptedly,  even 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  55 

the  white  of  the  abdomen  being  mixed  with  black ;  while  the  yellow  areas 
on  the  throat,  crown,  and  sides,  are  more  restricted  in  size,  and  brighter 
in  color,  as  compared  with  auduboni.  In  one  specimen  there  is  a  black 
line,  narrow  but  well  defined  between  the  yellow  of  the  throat  and  t:ie 
lower  mandible.  But  two  adult  females  of  nigrifrons  were  secured ;  both 
are  darker  than  female  examples  of  auduboni,  and  with  the  yellow  areas 
more  restricted.  In  one  the  breast,  sides  and  blanks  are  covered  with 
rather  narrow,  sharply  defined  black  streaks ;  the  other  has  the  breast 
and  sides  uniformly  black,  but  with  the  feathers  broadly  edged  with 
lighter,  producing  a  dark  slaty  appearance,  while  the  flanks  are  streaked 
-with  dusky. 

Measurements  (in  inches)  : 

Alar  ex-    . 
Dendroica  auduboni  nigrifrons.  Length,  panse.  Wing.  Tail. 
Average  of  nine  adul-t  males... 5.96       9.84       3.26       2.36 

Maximum    6.12     10.18       3.40       2.37 

Minmum    5.81       9.56       3.18       2.30 

Dendroica  auduboni. 

Average  of  twelve  adult  males.  .5.79       9-49       3-05       2.26 

Maximum 6.06     10.  3.30       2.37 

Minimum 5.62       9.06       2.94       2.25 

Dendrocia  graciae    Baird.     Grace  Warbler. 

Of  very  irregular  occurrence ;  in  the  spring  of  1902,  I  saw  but  a 
single  bird,  whereas  in  the  following  year  it  was  fairly  abundant  during 
the  spring  migration.  In  1896  it  was  still  more  abundant,  and  what  is 
rather  unusual  remained  to  breed  in  considerable  numbers.  The  earliest 
arrival  noted  was  on  April  12,  1903:  they  remained  fairly  numerous 
throughout  the  month  and  disappeared  about  the  first  of  May.  A  bird 
of  the  pine  woods,  it  was  found  almost  exclusively  in  the  higher  moun- 
tains, all  that  were  taken  being  above  8000  feet,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  secured  in  the  spring  of  1896  as  low  as  6000  feet.  In  their  travels 
they  associated  with  the  other  migrating  warblers,  particularly  with 
occidentalis  and  tozvnscndi,  and  I  found  it  bv  no  means  easy  to  distinguish 
the  various  species  in  the  tree  tops ;  though  graciae  acts  more  like  a  fly- 
catcher than  any  of  the  others,  constantly  flying  out  from  the  trees  to 
a  considerable  distance  after  insects.  Several  juveniles  were  taken  dur- 
ing July,  1896;  and  in  July  and  August,  1902,  one  immature  and  six 
adults  in  fresh  autumnal  plumage  were  secured.  A  young  male  taken 
July  13th  is  in  the  brown  streaked  plumage,  but  yellow  feathers  are  be- 
ginning to  appear  along  the  median  line  of  the  throat  and  upper  breast, 
and  the  yellow  superciliary  stripe  is  also  beginning  to  show.  Another, 
a  little  older,  has  the  streaks  of  the  lower  parts  restricted  to  the  sides 
and  flanks,  and  the  yellow  markings  nearly  perfect.  A  male  taken  on 
July  30th,  which  has  just  discarded  the  juvenile  for  the  winter  plumage, 
difl^ers  from  the  autumnal  adults  in  having  the  white  of  the  under  parts 
more  strongly  tinged  with  bufif;  and  whereas  the  adult  has  the  back 
decidedly  streaked,  though  the  markings  are  overcast  by  the  brownish 
edgings  to  the  feathers,  in  the  juvenile  these  markings  are  but  imper- 
fectly indicated.  Autumnal  adults  have  the  upper  parts  overcast  with 
brown  to  such  an  extent,  that  except  on  the  sides  of  the  crown  where  a 
little  of  the  black  shows  through,  the  characteristic  markings  are  en- 
tirely hidden.  Females  are  even  more  brown  than  the  males,  and  have 
the  black  streaks  on  the  sides  of  the  breast  and  flanks  nearly  concealed 
as  welL 


56  PACIFIC   COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

Dendroica  nigrescens   (Townsend).     Black-throated  Gray  Warbler. 

A  very  common  summer  resident,  occurring  principally  below  7500 
feet,  and  favoring  the  brush  covered  hills  of  the  oak  belt  to  a  great  exten^ 
The  earliest  arrival  noted  was  on  March  31st. 

Dendroica  townsendi  (Townsend).     Townsend  Warbler. 

One  of  the  most  abundant  of  the  migrating  warblers  in  this  region. 
In  the  spring  I  found  it  in  all  parts  of  the  mountains,  but  most  abundant 
along  the  canyons  from  5000  to  7500  feet.  The  first  seen  was  on  April 
9th,  and  the  last  May  15th.  At  the  beginning  of  the  fall  migration  in 
1902,  a  few  were  seen  in  the  pines  above  9000  feet  on  August  19th;  and 
they  remained  in  limited  numbers  up  to  the  time  I  left  the  mountains, 
September  5th. 

Dendroica  occidentalis  (Townsend).    Hermit  Warbler. 

A  common  migrant  both  in  the  spring  and  fall.  The  first  arrivals 
appeared  in  the  very  highest  parts  of  the  mountains,  but  a  little  later 
they  could  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the  range,  and  on  April  17,  1902,  I 
saw  a  few  in  some  willows  near  the  San  Pedro  River.  The  first  seen  in 
the  spring  was  on  May  9th,  and  the  last,  May  28th.  They  reappeared 
m  August,  but  at  this  time  w^ere  seen  only  in  the  pines  above  8500  feet. 
It  .s  rather  singular,  and  in  contradiction  to  the  idea  that  m  the  migra- 
tions the  old  birds  go  first  in  order  to  show  the  way,  that  the  first  secured 
in  the  fall  was  a  young  female,  taken  August  7th.  The  young  birds  then 
became  very  abundant,  and  on  August  14th  the  first  adult  female  was 
taken ;  and  not  until  August  19th  was  an  adult  male  seen.  The  adults 
then  became  nearly  as  abundant  as  the  juveniles,  and  both  together  were 
more  numerous  than  I  have  ever  seen  them  in  the  spring,  on  several  oc- 
casions as  many  as  fifteen  to  twenty  being  seen  in  one  flock. 

The  young  birds  of  both  sexes  were  in  many  instances  quite  indis- 
tinguishable in  coloration,  none  of  the  young  males  having  as  much 
black  on  the  throat  as  the  adult  female. 

Seiurus  noveboracensis  notabilis  (Ridgway).     Alaska  Water-Thrush. 

I  met  with  this  species  on  but  one  occasion,  August  31,  1903,  when 
I  secured  a  female  at  an  altitude  of  about  5500  feet.  Scott  has  recorded 
its  occurrence  in  the  Santa  Catalina  Mountains  in  September,  and  Hen- 
.shaw,  at  Camp  Crittenden  in  August,  so  it  may  very  possibly  prove  to  be 
a  regular  fall  migrant  through  this  region. 

Geothlypis  tolmiei  (Townsend).     Tolmie  Warbler. 

A  fairly  common  migrant  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains,  oc- 
curring up  to  6000  feet,  mostly  in  the  thick  underbrush  along  the  streams. 
I  observed  it  in  the  spring  from  April  nth  to  May  i8th  ;  in  the  fall  one 
was  seen  on  August  21st,  and  through  the  rest  of  the  month  it  was  fairlv 
abundant,  though  not  as  much  so  as  in  the  spring. 

Geothlypis  trichas  occidentalis    Brewster.     Western  Yellow-throat. 

A  rare  migrant  in  the  mountains  though  of  common  occurrence  in 
the  lower  valleys  of  this  region.  In  the  Huachucas  1  have  seen  it  on  hut 
two  or  three  occasions,  and  then  only  in  the  lowest  parts,  at  the  mouths 
of  the  canyons  and  in  the  washes  below.  A  male  was  secured,  and  an- 
other seen,  on  May  8,  1903,  and  a  female  taken  on  May  22nd. 

A  breeding  male  taken  on  the  San  Pedro  River,  about  twenty  miles 
from  the  mountains,  on  July  6,  1902,  and  submitted  to  Mr.  Ridgway, 
was   pronounced  by  him  as  "inclining  toward  G.  t.  melanops."     This  bird 


April   T904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA.  57 

is  of  about  the  same  size  as  the  migrating  yellow  throats  that  pass 
through  this  region,  but  is  very  different  in  coloration.  The  entire  lower 
parts,  including  the  lower  tail  coverts,  are  bright  yellow,  darker  on  the 
flanks.  The  upper  parts  are  greenish  yellow,  even  the  grayish  white  of 
the  crown  and  sides  of  the  neck  being  strongly  suffused  with  the  same 
color;  while  the  black  "mask"  is  continued  in  a  long  point,  further  down 
the  sides  of  the  neck  than  in  the  case  with  occidentalis. 

Icteria  virens  longicauda  (Lawrence).     Long-tailed  Chat. 

In  1896  several  pair  of  Chats  bred  in  the  vicinity  of  our  camp  in 
Ramsey  Canyon,  at  an  altitude  of  about  5500  feet,  but  this  is  the  only 
place  in  the  mountains  where  I  have  known  them  to  do  so ;  and  the  only 
year  in  which  I  have  seen  them  through  the  summer  months.  As  a  rule 
two  or  three  migrating  birds  seen  during  April  near  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  are  all  that  appear ;  though  along  the  San  Pedro  River  they 
breed  in  tolerable  abundance. 

Wilsonia  pusilla  pileolata  (Pallas).     Pileolated  Warbler. 

An  exceedingly  common  migrant  in  all  parts  of  the  mountains, 
though  most  abundant  below  6000  feet.  It  was  observed  in  the  spring 
from  April  12th  to  May  22nd;  reappearing  in  the  fall  on  August  21st. 
On  August  26,  1902,  I  saw  a  Pileolated  Warbler  on  the  summit  of  the 
highest  peak  in  the  mountains,  about  10,000  feet  altitude.  All  the  speci- 
mens secured  are  referable  to  pileolata  rather  than  chryseola,  though  the 
latter  also  might  be  expected  to  occur  here  as  a  migrant. 

Setophaga  picta    Swainson.     Painted  Redstart. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  summer  residents  of  the  mountains, 
the  Painted  Redstart  is  pretty  sure  of  receiving  rather  more  than  his 
fair  share  of  the  attention  of  the  visiting  ornithologist,  for  it  is  abundant 
in  numbers,  and,  for  such  a  bright  colored  bird,  not  at  all  shy.  In  fact, 
instead  of  escaping  observation  he  seems  to  court  it,  for  with  wings  and 
tail  outspread,  and  feathers  puffed  out  to  show  their  beauties  to  the  best 
advantage,  he  can  be  seen  clambering  over  tree  trunks  or  mossy  rocks, 
turning  now  this  way  and  now  that,  as  if  conscious  and  proud  of  his 
beautiful  appearance  even  when  engaged  in  the  commonest  duties  of 
life,  gathering  insects  for  the  young  or  material  for  the  nest.  Females, 
as  well  as  males,  strut  about  in  the  same  ostentatious  manner,  for  in 
color  and  appearance  the  sexes  are  absolutely  indistinguishable ;  and 
even  the  dull  colored  juveniles  adopt  the  same  style  as  soon  as  they  are 
able  to  fly.  They  are  most  abundant  in  the  damp,  shady  canyons  in 
the  breeding  season,  between  5500  and  8000  feet ;  but  during  the  migra- 
tions, though  ascending  no  higher,  they  are  more  generally  distributed 
over  the  mountains,  and  can  be  found  quite  to  the  base  of  the  range. 
They  reach  the  mountains  very  early  in  the  spring,  the  first  arrival  being 
noted  on  March  15th,  and  a  week  or  so  later  they  were  quite  abundant. 
At  all  times  rather  a  solitary  bird,  they  are  never  to  be  seen  in  the  mixed 
flocks  of  migrating  warblers,  but  prefer  rather  to  forage  for  themselves; 
and  I  have  never  seen^  more  than  a  pair  of  birds  together,  except  for  thf 
short  time  that  the  adults  tend  the  young  after  the  latter  leave  the  nest. 
Though  feeding  to  some  extent  in  the  underbrush,  and  even  on  the 
ground  and  over  the  rocks,  they  do  not  stick  closely  to  such  places  as  do 
the  Tolmie  Warblers  and  Yellow-throats ;  nor  on  the  other  hand  do  they 
frequent  the  extreme  tree  tops  and  tips  of  the  limbs  as  the  Townsend, 
Hermit  and  other  Warblers  do,  but  preferring  rather  the  medium  be- 
.tween  the  two  extremes,  they  can  be  seen  clambering  about  the  sides 


58  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA..  [No    4 

of  the  tree  trunks  and  over  the  larger  limbs,  examining  the  crevices  ana 
interstices  in  the  bark  in  search  of  food,  and  occasionally  flying  out  a 
short  distance  after  some  passing  insect.  A  call  note  is  uttered  at  fre- 
quent intervals,  not  unlike  the  peep  of  a  young  chicken,  and  occasionally 
the  short,  low  song  of  the  male  can  be  heard.  Though  this  is  usually 
given  utterance  to  betw^een  intervals  of  feeding,  I  have  once  or  twice, 
usually  in  the  early  morning,  seen  the  male  bird  ascend  to  the  top  of  a 
tall  tree,  and  from  the  tip  of  some  dead  limb  repeat  his  song,  sometimes 
for  half  an  hour  before  descending.  Though  the  nest  is  usually  built  near 
the  bottom  of  the  canyon,  and  generally  close  to  the  water,  this  is  not 
always  the  case,  for  I  saw  one  nest  that  the  birds  had  built  in  a  crevice 
on  the  side  of  an  open  cut  leading  into  a  tunnel  on  a  ridge  between  two 
canyons,  and  nearly  a  mile  from  water.  The  strangest  part  of  it  was  that 
two  men  were  working  and  blasting,  daily  in  the  tunnel  without  the 
birds  seeming  disturbed.  When  the  young  appear,  the  first  being  seen 
about  the  end  of  June,  they  are  dark  sooty  black,  rather  paler  on  the 
abdomen,  but  they  quickly  begin  to  lose  this  plumage ;  most  of  those 
secured  having  a  few  glossy  black  feathers  showing  on  the  back,  and 
one  or  two  red  ones  on  the  lower  parts.  The  juvenile  plumage  is  moulted 
entirely  with  the  exception  of  the  remiges  and  rectrices,  (even  the  wing 
coverts  being  renewed,  though  the  pattern  of  coloration  is  the  same  in 
the  juvenile  as  in  the  adult)  ;  specimens  taken  during  July  and  August 
being  variously  intermediate  in  color,  and  more  or  less  covered  with  pin 
feathers.  The  adults  moult  at  the  same  time ;  one  taken  on  August  20th 
having  entirely  completed  the  change,  though  others  secured  later  have 
many  pin  fathers  still  scattered  over  the  body.  By  the  first  week  in  Sep- 
tember, however,  the  moult  is  practically  completed,  and  at  this  time 
young  and  old  are  indistinguishable  in  color ;  only  dififering  from  spring 
specimens  in  a  slightly  scaled  appearance  of  the  red  of  the  lower  parts, 
due  to  those  feathers  being  faintly  tipped  with  grayish. 

Cardellina  rubrifrons  (Giraud).     Red-faced  Warbler. 

The  Red-faced  Warbler  and  Painted  Redstart  are  always  associated 
together  in  my  mind,  being  both  of  a  tropical  appearance  in  decided 
contrast  with  their  duller  colored  associates,  and  essentially  alike  in  their 
habits  and  modes  of  life.  They  inhabit  rather  different  areas  in  the 
mountains,  rubrifrons  being  found  during  the  breeding  season  from  7000 
feet  upwards,  and  in  the  migrations  as  abundant  in  the  higher  pine  re- 
gions as  anywhere.  The  first  arrival  was  noted  April  20th,  and  up  to  the 
middle  of  May  they  were  seen  in  considerable  numbers  along  the  can- 
yons, often  in  company  with  other  migrating  warblers.  During  the 
breeding  season  their  numbers  seem  to  be  greatly  decreased,  but  this  is 
probably  more  apparent  than  real,  as  at  this  time  they  are  very  quiet 
and  inconspicuous;  and  as  soon  as  the  young  begin  to  appear,  about  the 
middle  of  August,  are  as  numerous  as  ever.  The  moult  takes  place  in 
August,  and  specimens  secured  immediately  after,  in  fresh  autumnal 
plumage,  have  the  white  of  the  under  parts  strongly  tinged  with  pink. 
Early  spring  specimens  have  this  pinkish  tinge,  though  in  a  lesser  degree, 
but  in  breeding  birds  taken  during  May  and  June  it  is  almost  entirely 
absent.  After  the  young  leave  the  nest  they  spread  out  more  and  de- 
scend to  rather  a  lower  altitude,  though  I  have  never  taken  specimens 
below  5500  feet,  and  at  the  same  time  they  can  be  found  in  the  highest 
parts  of  the  range. 

A  nest  containing  four  eggs,  found  on  May  20,  1903,  at  an  altitude 
of  about  8500  feet,  was  well  concealed  under  an  old  rotten  log,  on  a  steep 


April   1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  59 

bank  by  the  side  of  a  trail,  and  could  never  have  been  seen  had  not  the 
bird  darted  from  the  nest  when  it  was  approached, 

Cinclus  mexicanus   Swainson.    American  Dipper. 

On  August  4,  1902,  I  saw  a  dipper  in  the  narrow,  rocky  defile  known 
as  the  "Box"  in  Ramsey  Canyon.  Several  times  in  the  month  ^of  August 
I  saw  what  was  probably  the  same  bird,  in  this  place ;  but  it  was  so  wild 
as  to  be  unapproachable,  and  though  it  never  flew  to  any  great  distance 
I  was  quite  unable  to  get  a  shot  at  it. 

Mimus  polygottos  leucopterus  (Vigors).     Western  Mockingbird. 

A  summer  resident  in  the  lower  canyons  and  very  abundant  in  the 
washes  leading  from  the  mountains.  It  does  not  seem  to  remain  during 
the  winter,  for  though  a  single  bird  was  seen  on  February  i8th,  I  be- 
lieve it  was  one  that  had  strayed  from  the  valley  below,  and  quickly 
returned  there,  for  no  rnore  were  seen  until  the  middle  of  April.  As 
the  summer  advances  they  ascend  higher  and  higher  in  the  canyons, 
about  5500  feet  being  their  upward  breeding  limit;  but  on  one  occasion, 
August  14,  1902,  I  saw  a  Mockingbird  right  on  the  divide  of  the  moun- 
tain at  an  elevation  of  about  8500  feet.  Specimens  taken  the  first  week 
in  May  were  not  yet  breeding,  and  a  female  secured  on  May  iSth  had 
laid  part  of  its  set ;  while  on  July  5th  I  examined  eight  or  ten  nests  along 
the  San  Pedro  River,  all  of  which  contained  eggs  in  various  stages  of 
incubation. 

Toxostoma  curvircstre  palmeri  (Coues).     Palmer  Thrasher. 

Breeds  in  very  limited  numbers  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  moun- 
tains, none  being  seen  above  5000  feet.  It  is  common  enough  in  the 
brush  covered  valleys  below,  and  after  the  breeding  season,  moves  up 
toward  the  mountains  to  some  extent.  During  August  young  and  old, 
equally  ragged  in  appearance,  were  seen  along  the  foothills  in  consider- 
able numbers ;  but  they  were  very  shy  and  difficult  to  approach,  and 
from  their  disreputable  appearance  I  did  not  covet  them  very  much,  so 
secured  but  few  specimens. 

Toxostoma  crissalis  Henry.     Crissal  Thrasher. 

This  is  apparently  a  very  rare  species  in  this  region,  for  a  juvenile, 
though  fully  fledged,  female,  secured  August  9,  1902,  at  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  is  the  only  one  I  have  seen.  This  bird,  as  well  as  the  Palmer 
Thrasher,  was  busily  engaged  in  grubbing  up  a  species  of  small  black 
beetle  which  abounds  after  the  summer  rains,  from  the  shallow  burrows 
that  it  occupies. 

Heleodytes  brunneicapillus  couesi  (Sharpe).     Cactus  Wren. 

I  have  never  seen  the  nest  of  this  species  in  the  Huachucas,  though 
very  possibly  it  breeds  in  limited  numbers  in  some  parts  of  the  range ; 
but  in  the  valley  below  it  is  a  common  resident,  ascending,  together 
with  the  thrashers,  to  the  base  of  the  mountains  after  the  breeding  sea- 
son. 

Salpinctes  obsoletus  (Say).     Rock  Wren. 

A  common  resident  in  the  stony  foothill  region,  ascending  in  places 
up  to  5000  feet.  I  could  discern  no  difference  in  the  distribution  of  the 
species*  at  the  different  seasons. 


60  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.   4 

Catherpes  mexicanus  conspersus  Ridgway.     Canyon  Wren. 

Resident  throughout  the  mountains,  though  nowhere  very  abund- 
ant, the  Canyon  Wren  is  to  be  found  around  the  steep  cHffs  and  preci- 
pices bordering  the  canyons,  or  on  the  rock  strewn  foothills.  A  female 
secured  on  April  12th  contained  an  egg  about  ready  to  be  laid ;  and  by 
the  middle  of  June  troops  of  young  led  by  their  parents  were  seen  in 
many  places. 

Thryomanes  bewicki  leucogaster  (Baird).     Baird  Wren. 

I  found  this  wren  to  be  quite  common  in  the  lower  parts  of  the 
mountains,  ranging  up  to  about  6000  feet,  and  occurring  also  in  suitable 
localities  in  the  valley  below.  It  appeared  to  be  resident,  and  I  could 
discern  no  increase  in  the  number  of  birds  seen  during  the  migration. 

Though  a  common  species  the  nest  is  quite  difficult  to  find,  and  I 
have  seen  only  three  or  four,  all  built  in  cavities  in  the  trees,  from  six 
to  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground. 

Specimens  secured  vary  much  in  size  but  little  in  color,  though  the 
only  autumnal  adult  taken,  a  male  on  August  17th  which  had  nearly 
completed  the  moult,  is  appreciably  darker  than  any  spring  specimens. 

Troglodytes  aedon  aztecus  Baird.     Western  House  Wren. 

An  abundant  summer  resident  in  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains, 
breeding  from  7000  feet  upward,  but  most  abundant  in  the  pine  forests 
above  8000  feet.  Upon  their  arrival  in  the  spring,  the  first  being  noted 
on  April  8th,  they  were  distributed  over  all  parts  of  the  range,  but  soon 
withdrew  to  the  higher  altitudes  to  breed;  nor  did  they  descend  again 
when  the  young  were  out  of  the  nest,  as  so  many  species  similarly 
placed,  did.  Spring  specimens  are  uniformly  very  pale,  and  easily  dis- 
tinguished from  parkmani  of  the  Pacific  Coast ;  but  a  male  taken  Sep- 
tember 2nd,  which  has  quite  completed  the  moult,  is  much  darker  than 
the  spring  birds  and  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  fall  specimens  of  park- 
mani. 

Olbiorchilus  hiemalis  pacificus  (Baird).     Western  Winter  Wren. 

I  met  with  this  species  on  but  one  occasion,  on  April  2,  1902,  when 
a  male  bird  was  secured  at  an  altitude  of  5500  feet.  It  is  probably  a 
straggler  from  the  Pacific  Coast,  of  rare  and  irregular  occurrence. 

Certhia  familiaris  albescens  (Berlepsch).     Mexican  Creeper. 

A.  fairly  common  summer  resident  in  the  higher  pine  regions,  and 
as  a  rule  restricted  to  those  parts  and  but  seldom  descending  below  7000 
feet.  The  earliest  arrival  noted  was  a  female,  taken  with  a  female  of 
C.  f.  montana,  on  March  3,  1903,  at  an  altitude  of  5700  feet,  the  lowest 
altitude  at  which  I  have  ever  found  the  species.  About  ten  days  later 
they  were  fairly  numerous  along  the  divide  of  the  mountains,  where  the 
faint  call  note  peculiar  to  the  species  could  be  frequently  heard,  though 
the  birds  themselves  generally  succeeded  in  evading  observation.  About 
the  middle  of  July  young  birds  began  to  appear,  and  they  seemed  more 
abundant  at  this  time  than  at  any  other.  As  with  many  other  species 
breeding  in  the  higher  parts  of  the  range,  a  downward  movement  began 
about  this  time,  and  though  never  descending  to  the  foothills,  in  the  late 
summer  Creepers  were  found  scattered  all  through  the  upper  part  of  the 
oak  belt.  The  juveniles  seem  to  be  attended  by  their  parents  for  a  long 
time,  for  up  to  the  first  week  in  September,  when  young  and  old  were 
practically  indistinguishable  in  size  and  general  appearance,  the  families 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  5 1 

Still  clung  together,  and  the  old  birds  were  seen  continually  feeding  their 
offspring. 

In  differentiating  this  race  great  stress  has  been  laid  upon  the  ab- 
sence of  white  markings  on  the  primary  coverts  of  albescens,  a  charac- 
teristic which  is  not  borne  out  by  the  series  before  me,  for  out  of  four- 
teen specimens,  young  and  old,  there  are  just  three  that  lack  these 
markings.  In  most  cases  they  are  quite  as  distinct  and  apparent  as  in 
any  specimens  of  relates,  or  the  two  examples  of  montana  in  my  collec- 
tion. 

Certhia  familaris  montana  Ridgway.     Rocky  Mountain  Creeper. 

A  creeper  submitted  to  Mr.  Ridgway  and  pronounced  by  him  to  be 
montana,  was  secured  in  Miller  Can  von  on  March  i,  1903,  at  an  altitude 
of  5500  feet.  Another  bird  practically  the  same  in  markings  and  colora- 
tion, and  referred  to  above,  was  taken  on  March  3rd  in  the  same  canyon. 
These  were  probably  migrants  going  further  north,  and  they  may  be  of 
regular  occurrence  in  this  region  during  the  migrations.  The  paler 
coloration,  above  and  below,  longer  and  more  slender  bill,  and  generally 
larger  size,  serves  to  distinguish  this  race  from  the  breeding  bird  (albescens) 
of  the  mountains  of  Southern  x\rizona. 

Sitta  carclinensis  nelsoni  Mearns.     Rocky  Mountain  Nuthatch. 

Resident  throughout  the  mountains,  though  most  abundant  in  the 
higher  pine  regions.  During  the  cold  weather  it  is  quite  common  in  the 
oaks  along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  but  though  a  few  breed  there,  the 
majority  of  them  ascend  to  a  higher  altitude  in  the  symmer.  Several 
were  seen  hard  at  work  excavating  for  their  nests  on  April  6th ;  and  a  set 
of  eggs  was  secured  by  O.  W.  Howard  on  April  19,  1902.  They  seem  to 
be  at  all  times  rather  solitary  birds,  and  though  a  single  one  may  occa- 
sionally be  seen  in  a  flock  of  Pygmy  Nuthatches  or  Chickadees,  I  cannot 
recall  ever  seeing  more  than  a  pair  of  them  together.  Birds  taken  in 
August  and  September  are  much  darker  than  spring  specimens,  and 
some  males,  possibly  immature,  have  the  black  of  the  crown  extending 
in  disconnected  spots  on  to  the  dorsum. 

Sitta  canadensis  Linnaeus.     Red-breasted  Nuthatch. 

On  April  6,  1902,  I  secured  four  Red-breasted  Nuthatches  from  a 
flock  of  a  dozen  or  more  feeding  in  some  pines  in  a  steep,  narrow  canyon, 
at  an  altitude  of  about  8500  feet.  This  is  the  only  occasion  on  which  I 
have  seen  the  species  in  the  Huachucas,  and  from  the  scarcity  of  records 
it  would  seem  to  be  of  rare  occurrence  anywhere  in  Arizona. 

Sitta  pygmaea  Vigors.     Pygmy  Nuthatch. 

An  abundant  resident,  though  restricted  entirely  to  the  higher  parts 
of  the  range  and  rarely  descending  as  low  as  6000  feet,  the  Pygmy  Nut- 
hatch is  seen  and  heard  everywhere  in  the  pine  regions ;  going  about  in 
large  flocks  and  travelling  rapidly  and  restlessly  from  tree  to  tree.  Dur- 
ing the  migrations  they  seem  to  form  a  sort  of  nucleus  for  other  birds 
to  gather  around,  and  are  usually  accompanied  by  a  number  of  migrating 
warblers  vireos,  etc.  Many  of  them  remain  in  small  flocks  up  to  the 
middle  of  May,  though  others  may  be  seen  at  work  at  their  nests  in  some 
old  stump  early  in  April ;  so  by  the  time  the  last  of  them  are  paired  off, 
those  that  first  went  to  work  are  nearly  ready  to  appear  with  their 
broods,  and  there  is  consequently  hardly  any  time  when  Pygmy  Nut- 
hatches are  not  to  be  seen  in  flocks. 


62  PACIFIC   COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

Baeolophus  wollweberi  (Bonaparte).     Bridled  Titmouse. 

This,  one  of  the  characteristic  birds  of  the  mountains  of  Southern 
Arizona,  is  found  in  the  greatest  abundance  everywhere  in  the  oak  re- 
gions of  the  Huachucas,  breeding  occasionally  up  to  7000  feet,  but  most 
abundant  below  6000  feet.  On  one  occasion,  late  in  the  summer,  T  saw 
a  Bridled  Titmouse  in  a  flock  of  Lead-colored  Bush  Tits  on  the  divide 
of  the  mountains  at  about  85CK>feet,  but  it  is  very  unusual  to  see  the  spe- 
cies at  such  an  altitude.  In  February  and  March  they  were  in  small 
flocks  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  birds,  and  about  the  middle  of  March 
they  began  to  pair  off,  though  one  or  two  small  flocks  were  still  seen 
during  the  first  week  in  April.  Early  in  June  young  birds  began  to  ap- 
pear, and  soon  the  broods,  attended  by  their  parents,  were  seen  every- 
where in  the  oaks.  The  young  are  essentially  like  the  adults  as  to  the 
markings  about  the  head,  but  duller  colored  and  with  the  black  of  the 
throat  more  or  less  obscured  by  grayish.  About  the  middle  of  July  the 
adults  commence  to  moult,  the  new  plumage  being  entirely  acquired  by 
about  the  first  of  September.  Adults  in  fresh  autumnal  plumage  are 
more  olivaceous  on  the  dorsum  and  rump  than  are  spring  specimens, 
which  are  usually  of  a  more  uniform  grayish  cast  throughout.  At  the 
end  of  August  they  were  gathered  in  rather  larger  flocks  than  I  have 
seen  them  in  at  other  times,  sometimes  as  many  as  twenty  or  twenty-five 
being  seen  together. 

Psaltriparus  plumbeus  Baird.     Lead-colored  Bush-Tit. 

I  found  this  species  in  the  Huachucas  in  February,  though  not  as 
abundant  as  it  was  later  on,  nor  did  I  see  any  in  the  higher  parts  of  the 
range  until  later  in  the  spring.  During  the  summer  it  seems  to  be 
equally  distributed  over  all  parts  of  the  mountains,  from  the  highest 
peaks  down  to  the  groves  of  live  oaks  on  the  plains  immediately  below 
the  mountains.  About  the  middle  of  March  the  birds  commenced  to 
pair  off,  and  I  found  one  nest  about  half  finished  on  March  26th.  The 
earliest  nests  found  were  all  in  the  lower  foothill  regions,  built  mostly  in 
scrub  oak  and  small  juniper  trees,  usually  not  over  eight  or  ten  feet 
from  the  ground;  but  later  in  the  season  they  nest  abundantly  in  the 
higher  altitudes,  sometimes  high  up  in  the  pine  trees.  I  saw  one  nest 
at  the  very  top  of  a  tall  pine,  but  the  tree  was  growing  on  a  steep  hill 
side,  and  the  nest  was  about  on  a  level  with  the  trail  from  which  I  saw  it. 
Of  the  spring  specimens  collected,  the  majority  had  bright  yellowish- 
white  eyes ;  but  in  about  a  third  of  either  sex  the  iris  was  brown ;  several 
of  the  adults  have  the  flanks  decidedly  tinged  with  vinaceous.  I  took 
no  specimens  that  could  be  referred  to  Iloydi  though  several  juveniles, 
undoubtedlv  plumbeus,  have  some  slight  indication  of  a  duskv  line  over 
the  auriculars ;  and  one  young  female  has  a  fairly  distinct,  though  nar- 
row, black  line  or  collar  across  the  hind  neck. 

Auriparus  flaviceps  (Sundevall).     Verdin. 

Though  the  Verdin  is  exceedingly  abundant  along  the  San  Pedro 
River  and  everywhere  in  the  lowlands  it  but  very  rarely  ventures  up  into 
the  mountains,  and  I  have  seen  it  in  the  Huachucas  but  once  or  twice, 
and  then  only  in  the  foothills.  I  have  seen  one  or  two  old  nests  in  some 
of  the  canyons  so  it  sometimes  breeds  in  the  mountains,  though  prob- 
ably very  rarely. 

Regulus  calendula  (Linnaeus).     Ruby-crowned  Kinglet. 

A  common  migrant  and  probably  a  winter  resident.  I  saw  a  few 
in  February,  but  they  did  not  become  abundant  until  about  the  middle 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA   MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  63 

of  March,  when  their  numbers  were  suddenly  greatly  increased.  At 
this  time  they  could  be  seen  feeding  in  trees  along  the  streams  in  flocks 
of  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  individuals,  being  larger  gatherings  of 
these  birds  than  I  have  seen  elsewhere.  Though  occurring  in  all  parts 
of  the  mountains  up  to  the  highest  peaks,  they  were  most  abundant  in 
the  canyons  below  7000  feet ;  and  remained  until  about  the  middle  of 
May,  the  last  being  seen  May  13th.  In  the  fall,  up  to  the  time  I  left, 
September  5th,  they  had  not  yet  returned. 

Polioptila  caerulea  obscura  Ridgway.     Western  Gnatcatcher. 

This  is  the  only  species  of  gnatcatcher  I  have  observed  in  the 
Huachucas.  On  the  brush  covered  plains  below,  and  along  the  San 
Pedro  River,  phimhea  breeds  in  moderate  abundance,  but  I  have  never 
seen  it  in  the  mountains,  the  altitude  being  probably  too  high.  Ob- 
scura is  probably  resident  in  the  Huachucas,  though  I  have  not  found 
it  very  abundant  at  any  time :  and  it  does  not  seem  to  range  above  6500 
feet,  and  but  rarely  to  that  altitude.  It  seemed  more  particularly  to  fre- 
quent the  rather  barren  foothill  country,  staying  in  the  oaks  and  brush 
high  up  on  the  hill  sides  rather  than  in  the  canyons.  I  saw  several  al- 
ready paired  on  April  7th. 

Myadestes  townsendi  (Audubon).     Townsend  Solitaire. 

The  Townsend  Solitaire  occurs  in  this  region  only  as  a  migrant, 
passing  through  early  in  the  spring.  The  first  noted  was  on  March  7th, 
and  the  last  on  April  30th.  They  were  found  in  all  parts  of  the  range, 
for  I  took  specimens  at  nearly  10,000  feet,  and  others  in  the  washes  be- 
low the  mountains.  They  preferred  rather  open  ground,  and  in  the  can- 
yon I  did  most  of  my  collecting  in  there  was  a  large  patch  of  cleared 
ground  which  they  seemed  particularly  to  favor,  and  occasionally  as 
many  as  eight  or  ten  birds  could  be  seen  sitting  on  the  tops  of  the  trees 
surrounding  the  clearing.  As  a  rule  they  stayed  high  up  in  the  trees, 
and  were  at  all  times  shy  and  hard  to  approach.  They  were  in  full  song 
before  they  left. 

Hylocichla  ustulata  (Nuttall).     Russet-backed  Thrush. 
Hylocichla  ustulata  swainsoni  (Cabanis).     Olive-backed  Thrush. 

In  1896  two  thrushes  from  the  Huachuca  Mountains  sent  to  Mr. 
Ridgway  to  be  identified  were  returned  to  him  labelled,  the  one  ustu- 
lata, the  other  sivainsoni.  These  two  represent  the  extremes  of  color  of 
a  considerable  series  of  these  birds  from  the  region  under  consideration, 
the  one  (ustulata)  being  an  extremely  pale  colored  bird,  sparsely  marked 
on  the  breast,  indistinguishable  from  breeding  birds  from  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia ;  while  the  other  (sivainsoni)  is  a  very  dark  colored  heavily 
marked  bird.  Between  these  extremes  the  specimens  collected  form  an 
unbroken  chain,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  say  where  the  one  ends  and 
the  other  begins.  The  scries  of  sivainsoni  are  all  very  olivaceous  in  their 
coloration,  without  any  trace  of  the  grayish  on  the  upper  parts  that  Mr. 
Oberholzer  ascribes  to  the  sub-species  almae,  (Auk.  XV,  page  303),  oth- 
erwise I  should  think  it  more  probable  that  the  Huachuca  Mountain 
birds  belonged  to  that  race  than  to  sivainsoni. 

These  two  varieties  appear  in  the  spring  at  about  the  same  time, 
and  in  the  same  localities,  being  abundant  along  the  streams  in  the 
lower  canyons  at  a  time  when  most  of  the  migrants  have  already  passed 
on    to    their    breeding  grounds.     I  have  specimens  of  both   ustulata   and 


64  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  ("No.   4 

swainsoni   taken    on    May  2,  1902,  which  is  the  earliest  date  on  which  I 
have  noted  them,  and  they  remain  until  about  the  end  of  the  month. 

Hylocichla  guttata  (Pallas).     Alaska  Hermit  Thrush. 

The  Hermit  Thrushes  as  found  in  this  region  are  an  rnteresting- 
thoug-h  rather  puzzling-  group,  for  though  the  individuals  were  never  at 
all  abundant,  the  number  of  varieties  found  passing  through  during  the 
migrations  was  surprising.  The  birds  were  all  extremely  shy  and  hard 
to  approach,  and  it  was  only  by  hard  work  that  I  managed  to  secure  as 
many  specimens  as  I  did.  In  all  twenty-four  Hermit  Thrushes  were 
obtained,  representing  the  folowing  races:  guttata  (9),  auduboni  (lo)^ 
nana  (i),  slevini  (4).  These  figures  probably  represent  pretty  accu- 
rately the  relative  abundance  of  the  various  races.  The  specimens  of 
guttata  were  all  taken  at  a  low  altitude,  none  above  5500  feet ;  usually  in 
thick  brush  along  the  canyon  streams.  One  specimen  (No.  3434,  March 
I,  1903)  is  an  extremely  grayish  colored  bird,  with  the  spots  on  the 
breast  ill-defined  and  run  together,  and  may  possibly  represent  the 
Siera  Nevada  form  sequoiensis,  but  in  size  it  does  not  diflfer  from  true 
guttata. 

Possibly  a  few  of  these  thrushes  spend  the  winter  in  the  Huachuc^s, 
for  one  was  taken  as  early  as  February  19  (1903)  ;  the  last  secured  was 
on  April  20  (1902). 

Hylocichla  guttata  auduboni  (Baird).     Audubon  Hermit  Thrush. 

Very  possibly  this  thrush  breeds  in  some  parts  of  the  Huachucas, 
though  if  it  does  it  must  be  in  very  limited  numbers,  for  personally  I 
have  never  met  with  it  except  in  the  migrations.  I  secured  most  of  my 
specimens  of  auduboni  in  the  highest  parts  of  the  range,  feeding,  not  in 
the  thick  bushes  and  underbrush,  as  most  of  the  thrushes  do,  but  on 
the  open  ground  under  the  big  pines,  scratching  and  working  in  the  pine 
needles  with  which  the  ground  was  thickly  covered.  One  or  two  speci- 
mens were  secured  in  the  canyons  as  low  as  6000  feet,  but  the  great  ma- 
jority of  the  birds  seen  were  along  the  divide  of  the  mountain,  from 
8500  feet  upward.  The  earliest  arrival  noted  was  one  secured  on  April 
18  (1903),  and  the  latest  a  female  shot  by  W.  B.  Judson  on  May  19 
(1896).  This  last  is  in  badly  worn  plumage  and  may  have  been  a  breed- 
ing bird ;  they  were  most  abundant  about  the  first  week  in  May. 

Hylocichla  guttata  nana  (Audubon).     Dwarf  Hermit  Thrush. 

From  its  extremely  dark  coloration  and  rich  markings  I  have 
ascribed  to  this  race  a  female,  shot  in  a  thick  tangle  of  wild  grape  vines 
and  other  shrubbery,  near  the  mouth  of  Miller  Canyon  on  April  6,  1903. 

Hylocichla  guttata  slevini  (Grinnell).     Monterey  Hermit  Thrush. 

This  seems  to  me  to  be  a  perfectly  distinct  and  easily  distinguish- 
able variety,  about  the  recognition  of  which  there  should  be  no  hesita- 
tion, for  in  size  it  departs  from  guttata  as  far  to  one  extreme  as  auduboni 
does  to  the  other;  and  the  extremely  pale  coloration  of  slevini  also  ren- 
ders it  one  of  the  most  easily  recognized  of  the  rather  puzzling  branches 
into  which  the  Hermit  Thrush  divides.  At  first  it  seems  strange  to  find 
a  bird  belonging  so  decidedly  to  the  Pacific  Coast  wandering  as  far  as 
eastern  Arizona,  but  when  we  consider  that  such  species  as  the  Hermit 
and  Townsend  Warblers,  Cassin  Vireo,  and  others,  pass  regularly 
through  this  region,  it  is  evident  that  there  is  a  regular  line  of  migra- 
tion from  the  Pacific  Coast  to  the  southeast,  in  spite  of  the  formidable 


April   1904]       BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,  ARIZONA.  65 

deserts  that  intervene,  and  might  be  expected  to  form  an  utterly  impas- 
sible barrier. 

I  believe  slevini  to  be  a  fairly  common  migrant  in  the  Huachucas, 
though  but  few  specimens  were  secured,  for  it  is  an  extremely  shy  bird, 
and  from  the  nature  of  the  ground  frequented,  exceedingly  difficult  even 
to  get  sight  of.  Auduboni  was  found  mostly  in  the  pine  woods,  and 
guttata  along  the  canyons,  but  slevini  seemed  to  prefer  the  dense  thickets 
covering  the  steep,  dry,  hillsides,  an  unpleasant  place  to  travel  in  at  any 
time,  and  almost  hopeless  ground  in  which  to  pursue  a  shy,  secretive 
bird  like  the  present  species.  The  specimens  secured  were,  a  male  shot 
on  March  9,  1903,  and  two  females  taken  on  May  8th,  and  another  on 
April  19,  1902. 

I  have  a  specimen  of  slevini  in  my  collection,  from  which  the  label 
was  unfortunately  lost,  which  was  one  of  a  lot  of  skins  (now  in  the  pos- 
session of  W.  Lee  Chambers)  put  up  by  R.  D.  Lusk  in  the  Chiricahua 
Mountains.  If  this  specimen  came  from  that  range,  as  would  seem  to 
be  the  case,  it  probably  indicates  the  extreme  eastern  limit  to  which  the 
species  wanders.  c 

Merula  migratoria  propinqua  Ridgway.     Western  Robin. 

This  species  is  a  fairly  common  resident  in  the  Huachucas,  and  I 
could  see  no  difference  in  its  numbers  at  different  seasons.  During  the 
cold  weather  the  Robins  could  be  found  in  abundance  along  the  lower 
canyons  and  through  the  foothills  generally,  but  by  the  end  of  April  they 
had  retreated  to  the  higher  pine  regions,  few  being  seen  below  8000  feet 
during  the  breeding  season.  I  took  fully  fledged  young  on  July  i,  and 
by  the  middle  of  the  month  they  began  to  move  down  to  a  lower  alti- 
tude, the  spotted  juveniles  being  seen  in  all  parts  of  the  mountains. 

Sialia  mexicanus  bairdi  Ridgway.     Cestnut-backed  Bluebird. 

During  February  and  the  early  part  of  March  I  found  the  Chestnut- 
backed  Bluebirds  quite  numerous  in  the  lower  foothills,  and  on  the  plains 
immediately  near  the  mountains,  being  entirely  absent  from  the  higher 
parts  of  the  range,  where  the  snow  still  lay  deep  on  the  ground ;  b'ut 
about  the  middle  of  March  they  began  to  move  upward,  and  by  the  first 
of  April  there  were  none  to  be  seen  except  in  the  higher  pine  regions, 
their  breeding  grounds.  Here  they  remained  through  the  summer  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  none  being  seen  below  8000  feet,  and  being  most 
numerous  along  the  divide  of  the  mountain.  About  the  middle  of  Au- 
gust they  began,  to  some  extent,  to  move  down  to  a  lower  altitude  once 
more,  for  the  evening  of  August  12th  a  small  flock  was  seen  flying  over- 
head near  the  base  of  the  mountains. 

The  male  birds  collected  show  considerable  variation  in  the  shade 
and  intensity  of  the  blue  coloring,  but  are  remarkably  uniform  in  the 
pattern  of  the  markings ;  having  with  hardly  an  exception  the  inter- 
scapular region  "solid"  chestnut,  and  the  sides  and  flanks  of  the  same 
color  extending  broadly  across  the  breast.  In  just  one  specimen,  a 
breeding  bird  in  rather  worn  plumage,  the  blue  of  the  throat  and  abdo- 
men just  meets  on  the  median  line  of  the  breast;  while  the  chestnut  of 
the  upper  parts  is  reduced  to  a  mere  line  across  the  back.  A  juvenile 
male  taken  August  26th  is  still  in  the  spotted  plumage,  though  with 
large  chestnut  patches  appearing  on  the  sides  and  flanks. 


66  PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA.  [No.  4 

Passer  domesticus  (Linnaeus).     English  Sparrow. 

In  the  report  on  the  English  Sparrow  published  by  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  in  1889,  this  species  was  reported  as  present  at  Camp 
Huachuca  in  the  summer  of  1886  (page  200,  1.  c).  I  have  never  seen  the 
bird  either  in  the  grounds  of  the  post  or  anywhere  in  the  surrounding 
country,  and  it  has  probably  been  exterminated  in  this  region  since  that 
time. 


April   1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA. 


67 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Accipiter    atricapillus    6 

cooperi     6 

velox    rufilatus    6 

Aeronautes    melanoleucus    16 

Aimophila   cassini    43 

ruficeps    scotti    43 

Ammodramus    sandwichensis    alaudi- 

nus     38 

Ampelis   cedrorum    48 

Amphispiza    bilineata    deserticola. ...  43 

Ani,  Groove-billed  10 

Antrostomus   vociferus    macromystax  14 

Aphelocoma  sieberi  arizonoe   30 

woodhousei     29 

Aquila   chrysaetos    7 

Astragalinus    psaltria    37 

Asyndesmus    torquatus     14 

Atthis    morcomi    19 

Auriparus   flaviceps    62 

Bseolophus    wollweberi    62 

Basillina    leucotis    19 

Becard,  Xantus    20 

Blackbird,   Brewer    36 

Blue-bird,    Chestnut-backed    65 

Bunting,    Lark    46 

Lazuli     45 

Painted     46 

Bubo  virginianus  pallescens   9 

Bush-tit,   Lead-colored    62 

Buteo    abbreviatus    6 

borealis  calurus   6 

swainsoni     6 

Calamospiza   melanocorys    46 

Calcarius    ornatus    38 

Callipepela    squamata    4 

Calypte    costae    17 

Cardellina    rubrifrons     58 

Carpodacus    cassini    36 

mexicanus  frontalis    37 

Cathartes    aura     5 

Catherpes  mexicanus  conspersus 60 

Centurus   uropygialis    14 

Certhia  familiaris  albescens 60 

montana '.  61 

Ceryle    alcyon    10 

Chsetura   vauxi    16 

Chat,  Long-tailed   57 

Chondestes    grammacus    strigatus    .  .  39 

Chordeiles  virginianus  henryi   15 

Cinclus    mexicanus    59 

Circus    hudsonius     6 

Coccothraustes  vespertinus   montanus  36 

Coccyzus   americanus   occidentalis    .  .  ip 

Coeligena    clemenciae    17 

Colaptes  cafer  collaris    14 


PAGE 

Columba    fasciata    4 

Columbigallina    passerina    pallescens.  5 

Contopus    pertinax   pallidiventris    ...  24 

richardsoni    25 

Corvus  corax  sinuatus    32 

cryptoleucus 32 

Coturniculus   bairdi    38 

savannarum   bimaculatus    39 

Cowbird,   Dwarf    34 

Creeper,    Mexican    60 

Creeper.    Rocky    Mountain    61 

Crossbill,    Mexican    37 

Crotophaga    sulcirostris    10 

Cuckoo,    California    10 

Cyanoceohalus    cyanocephalus    33 

Cyanocitta    stelleri    diademata    29 

Cyanospi/^a  amoena   45 

Cyanospiza  ciris    46 

Crytonyx  montezumse  mearnsi    4 

Dendroica  sestiva  brewsteri    53 

sonorana 53 

auduboni 54 

nigrifrons 54 

gracioe     55 

nigrescens    56 

occidentalis     56 

olivacea    53 

townsendi 56 

Dipper,    American    59 

Dove,  Mexican  Ground  5 

Mourning     • 5 

White-winged     5 

Dryobates   arizorae 11 

scalaris  bairdi  10 

villosus     hyloscopus     10 

Eagle,    Golden     7 

Empidonax    difficilis    25 

fulvifrons  pygmaeus    27 

griseus    26 

hammondi     25 

trailli     2s 

wrighti     26 

Eugenes  fulgens    17 

Falco    columbarius     7 

fusco-casrulescens    8 

mexicanus    7 

percp-rinus    pn^tum     7 

sparverius   phaloena    8 

Falcon.    Aolomado    8 

Prairie    7 

Finch,   Cassin    Purple    36 

House     , 37 

Flicker,  Red-shafted 14 


68 


PACIFIC    COAST    AVIFAUNA. 


[No.  4 


PAGE 

Flycatcher,    Ash-throated    22 

Buff-breasted     27 

Coues    24 

Gray    26 

Hammond     25 

Nutting    22 

Olivaceous     22 

Olive-sided    24 

Sulphur-bellied     21 

Traill     25 

Vermilion    28 

Western     26 

Wright    26 

Geococcyx   californianus    10 

Geothlypis  tolmiei  56 

trichas  occidentalis  56 

Glaucidium    gnoma    9 

Gnatcatcher,  Western    63 

Goldfinch,    Arkansas    37 

Goshawk,    American    6 

Grosbeak,  Black-headed   44 

Grosbeak,   Rose-breasted    44 

Western  Blue  45 

Western  Evening   36 

Guiraca  caerulea    lazula    45 

Hawk,    Cooper    6 

Desert  Sparrow  8 

Duck   7 

Marsh   6 

Pigeon 7 

Swainson   6 

Western  Red-tailed 6 

Western   Sharp-shinned    6 

Zone-tailed    6 

Heleodytes    brunneicapillus    couesi..  59 

Helminthophila   celata    52 

lutescens    52 

luciae    50 

rubricapilla  gutturalis    52 

virginiae    ; 50 

Hirundo  erythrogastra    48 

Hummingbird,    Allen    19 

Black-chinned    17 

Blue-throated     17 

Broad-billed    20 

Broad-tailed    18 

Calliope    19 

Costa    17 

Morcom     19 

Rivoli    17 

Rufous     18 

White-eared     19 

Hylocichla    guttata     64 

auduboni 64 

nana     94 

slevini     64 

ustulata    63 

swainsoni   63 

lache  latirostris  20 

Icteria  virens  longicauda- 57 

Icterus    bullocki    36 

cucullatus    nelsoni    35 

parisorum    34 


Jay,    Arizona     '. 30 

Long-crested     29 

Pinyon    33 

Woodhouse     29 

Junco,    Arizona     41 

Gray-headed     41 

Pink-sided 40 

Shufeldt     AO 

Slate-colored     .  . . .' 40 

Thurber    40 

Junco   caniceps    41 

hyemalis     40 

shufeldti     40 

thurberi    40 

mearnsi     40 

phaenotus  palliatus    41 

Killdeer     4 

Kingbird,  Arkansas    20 

Cassin     20 

Kingfisher,  Belted 10 

Kinglet,    Ruby -crowned    62 

Lanius    ludovicianus    excubitorides    .  48 

Lark,  Scorched  Horned   28 

Longspun     Chestnut-collared     38 

McCown .38 

Loxia  curvirostra  stricklandi   37 

Meadowlark,  Western  34 

Megascops  asio  cineraceus  8 

flammeolus    9 

trichopsis     8 

Melanerpes    formicivorus   aculeatus..  13 

Meleagris  gallopavo  merriami    4 

Melopelia  leucootera    5 

Melospiza    lincolni     44 

Merula   migratoria    propinqua    05 

Mimus    polyglottos    leucopterus    50 

Mockingbird,   Western    59 

Molothrus  ater  obscurus    34 

Myadestes   townsendi    63 

Myiarchus   cinerascens    22 

nuttingi 22 

lawrencei    olivascens     22 

Myiodynastes  luteiventris  21 

Nighthawk,    Western    IS 

Nucifraga   columbiana 33 

Nutcracker,  Clarke  '. 33 

Nuthatch,  Pygmy   61 

Red-breasted     61 

Rocky    Mountain    61 

Nuttalornis    borealis    24 

Olbiorchilus  hiemalis  pacificus    60 

Oreospiza    chlorura    44 

Oriole,  Arizona  Hooded  35 

Bullock  2,^ 

Scott 34 

Otocoris  alpestris  adusta   28 

Owl,    Burrowing    9 

Flammulated   Screech    9 

Mexican    Screech     S 

Pygmy    9 

Spotted     8 

Spotted    Screech     8 

Western    Horned    9 


April  1904]        BIRDS  OF  THE  HUACHUCA  MOUNTAINS,   ARIZONA. 


69 


PAGE 

Oxyechus  vociferus    4 

Partridge,  Mearns    4 

Scaled     4 

Passer  domesticus    66 

Petrochelidon   lunifrons    4S 

Pevvee,   Western   Wood    25 

Phainopepla    48 

Phainopepla    nitons    48 

Phalaenoptiliis  nuttalli    15 

Phoebe.    Black    23 

Say  ' 23 

Pigeon,  Band-tailed   4 

Pipilo   fuscus   mesoleucus    44 

maculatus   megalonyx    44 

Piranga  hepatica .  47 

ludoviciatia    47 

rubra  cooperi    47 

Platypsaris    albiventris    20 

Polioptila  cserulea  obscura  63 

Pooecetes   gramineus   confinis    38 

Poor-will     15 

Psaltriparus  plnmbeus  62 

Pyrocephalus   rubineus  mexicanu?    .  .  28 

Raven,   American    32 

White-necked     32 

Redstart,    Painted     57 

Regulus   calendula    62 

Rhynchophanes    mccowni    38 

Robin,    Western    65 

Road-runner     10 

Salpinctes    obsoletus    59 

Sapsucker,    Red-naped    12 

Williamson    13 

Sayornis    nigricans     23 

saya     23 

Scolecophagus    cyanocephalus    36 

Seiurus  noveboracensis  notabilis   ....  56 

Selasphorus    alleni     19 

platycercus     18 

rufus     18 

Setophaga    picta    57 

Shrike,    White-rumped     48 

Sialia  mexicana  bairdi    65 

Siskin,   Pine    37 

Sitta    canadensis     61 

carolinensis   nelsoni    61 

pygmsea 61 

Solitaire,   Townsend    63 

Sparrow,  Baird   38 

Black-chinned     40 

Brewer    v..  39 

Cassin     43 

Desert     43 

English   66 

Intermediate     39 

Lincoln     44 

Scott    43 

Western    Chipping    39 

Western   Grasshopper    39 

Western    Lark    39 

Western  Savanna   tS 

Western    Vesper    38 

White-crowned    39 


PAGE 

Sphyrapicus   thyroideus    13 

varius   nuchalis    12 

Spinus   pinus    37 

Speotyto  cunicularia  hypogsea    9 

Spizella    atrogularis     40 

breweri     39 

socialis    arizonse    39 

Stellula   calliope    19 

Sturnella  magna  neglecta  34 

Swallow,    Barn    48 

Cliff  48 

Northern   Violet-green    48 

Swift,    Vaux    16 

White-throated    16 

Syrnium  occidentale  8 

Tachycineta    thalassini    lepida    48 

Tanager,    Cooper    47 

Hepatic     47 

Western    47 

Thrasher,   Crissal    59 

Palmer     59 

Thrush,  Alaska  Hermit   64 

Audubon   Hermit    64 

Dwarf    Hermit    64 

Monterey    Hermit    64 

Olive-backed     63 

Russett-backed     63 

Thryomanes   bewicki   leucogaster    ...  60 

Titmouse,    Bridled     62 

Towhee,    Canyon    44 

Green-tailed    44 

Spurred    44 

Toxostoma    crissalis    59 

curvirostre    palmeri    59 

Trochilus    alexandri    17 

Troglodytes  aedon  aztecus  60 

Trogon    ambiguus    10 

Trogon,    Coppery-tailed    10 

Turkey,    Merriam     4 

Tyrannus   verticalis    20 

vociferans    20 

Verdin    62 

Vireo,    Cassin    49 

Least 50 

Plumbeous  i'9 

Red-eyed     49 

Stephens     49 

Western    Warbling     49 

Vireo  gilvus   swainson    49 

huttoni  stephensi   49 

olivaceus     49 

pusillus     50 

solitarius  cassini    49 

plumbeus  49 

Vulture,    Turkey 5 

Warbler,    Audubon    54 

Black-fronted     54 

Black-throated    Gray    56 

Calaveras     5^ 

Grace    . 55 

Hermit     56 

Lucy    50 

Lutescent    52 


70 


PACIFIC   COAST    AVIFAUNA. 


[No.  4 


PAGE 

Olive   53 

Orange-crowned    52 

Pileolated    57 

Red-faced    58 

Sonoran   Yellow    53 

Tolmie 56 

Townsend     56 

Virginia    50 

Western    Yellow    S3 

Water-thrush,    Alaska    56 

Waxwing,    Cedar 48 

Whip-poor-will,  Stephens  14 

Wilsonia  pusilla  pileolata    57 

Woodpecker,   Ant-eating    13 

Arizona    11 

Cabanis     10 


PAGE 

Gila 14 

Lewis    14 

Texan     10 

Wren,    Baird    60 

Cactus     5Q 

Canyon     60 

Rock 59 

Western    House    60 

Western  Winter    60 

Yellowthroat,  Western    56 

Zamelodia   ludoviciana    44 

melanocephala    44 

Zenaidura  macoura  5 

Zonotrichia  leucophrys    39 

gambeli    39 


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